The Road Trip Coincidence
by luminous77
Summary: September 24, 2007. Penny still lives in Nebraska and Leonard undertakes a road trip, that brings him to Omaha. This is an alternative beginning for Leonard and Penny.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from _The Big Bang Theory_. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 1

After dreaming about it for years, Leonard finally found the time to put a special dream of him into action. A coast to coast road trip. He had told his roommate Sheldon and his friends Howard and Raj about this dream a while ago, and Howard and Raj immediately wanted to join Leonard on his trip as soon as it was possible. Now the time had come. Leonard, Howard and Raj used all of their annual vacation days, had saved enough money and were ready to start. They only knew such big undertakings from travel reports in magazines, books or television, so it would be a real adventure for them. Sheldon declined the offer to join them right from the moment Leonard told them all about his dream. He would only go on a coast to coast trip, if they would all sit in the comfort of an air-conditioned train.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the three men started their road trip from coast to coast, which they wanted to do over the course of four weeks, starting in September and reaching the endpoint of their trip, New York City, by the end of the first week of October. A rental car, which they had booked for the entire trip, served as their means of transportation. In New York they would take a plane to travel back to California. To avoid tiredness during their journey, they took turns at driving every four hours. Now, at the beginning of the third week of their trip, they had already passed Las Vegas, where they spent some time gambling and visiting shows. Howard almost got involved with a hooker, which would have cost them a considerable amount of their travel budget, if Leonard hadn't intervened at the last minute. A few days after that they had an overnight stay in Salt Lake City, where Raj blunderingly carried away some minor bruises on his hand, when he tried to pull a stalling chocolate bar out of a vending machine. Then they had crossed the Rocky Mountains and made a detour to the Yellowstone National Park, where they spent a few days in a cabin, savoring the sublime nature and the great wildlife. After spending the last night in a motel near Cheyenne, Wyoming, they were now on their way to Des Moines in Iowa.

Howard was driving, when they passed the Nebraska sign at the Interstate 80. "Hey guys, we just entered the Cornhusker State."

"Oh cool! Then it's time for 'the Boss'." Leonard, who sat in the passenger seat took a CD out of the glovebox in front of him and put it into the player in the center console of his car. A few seconds later the sounds of the eponymous title track from Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album 'Nebraska' came out of the speakers in the car.

"Thankfully Sheldon wasn't interested to join us on our road trip." Raj remarked from the back seat.

"Absolutely." Howard agreed. "He constantly would have something to complain about."

Leonard smirked. "Although, it would have been fun to watch how he would've handled the bathroom in the Yellowstone cabin. There were some spots that looked a little bit unsanitary, to be honest."

"Yeah, he would have totally freaked out and would've spent the first day disinfecting the room because of all the breeding sites for germs," Raj said with a chuckle.

A few hours later Leonard took over the wheel. They were still driving on the Interstate 80 towards Des Moines. Suddenly a huge truck in front of them spun a big stone from the road, which loudly hit the windshield of their car with such intensity, that it caused a long crack from the left upper corner almost to the middle.

"Dammit!" Leonard cursed.

"What happened?", Howard asked startled. He slept in the passenger seat and now woke up from the noise the stone caused when it hit the windshield. Raj, who slept on the back seat, woke up as well and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Leonard pointed at the crack. "A stone that was spun by a truck hit the windshield and caused a massive crack."

Howard's eyes opened wide. "Oh boy, yeah. Crap! We can't drive with this any longer. The windshield could burst."

Raj bent forward. "We need a new car."

Leonard was disgruntled. "Damn, you're right! We made such good time. We could have easily arrived at Des Moines in less than three hours."

"Where are we?" Howard asked.

"We just passed the city limits of Omaha, Nebraska." Leonard replied.

Thanks to modern technology they could connect with the internet via their smartphones and were able to find a subsidiary of their car rental company. Although damages of no fault of one's own were covered by an insurance that was part of the rental contract, the insurance also included a deductible, so they had to pay for a new windshield since the costs were within the frame of the deductible. They also had to stay overnight in Omaha, since a new car was only available the next day. One of the employees of the car rental company recommended them a nearby motel. Leonard, Howard and Raj took their luggage out of the trunk and walked to the motel. Luckily it was only two blocks away. They checked in and as soon as they were in their room, they flopped down on the beds.

"Great! Unscheduled layover with additional costs," Howard sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Leonard sat up, walked over to his travel bag and pulled a water bottle out of it. "Don't worry. It's annoying, sure, but our travel budget is not in danger. We always have to take something unforeseen into account on such a long trip."

Raj's stomach began to rumble noticeably. "Boy, I could eat something. Not the junk food we have the whole time. A real dinner. What about you guys?"

"There's a restaurant one block down the road." Leonard pointed in the direction where he saw a restaurant on their way from the car rental company to the motel. "Let's grab a bite to eat."

"Good idea," Howard agreed and jumped up from the bed. "Let's go."

Leonard grabbed the key of their motel room and the three men stepped outside. It was a pleasantly warm and sunny September afternoon in Omaha. Leonard locked the door and turned to Howard and Raj. "Let's see what this town has to offer."

* * *

It was a quiet afternoon in the restaurant, in which Penny worked as a waitress. The lunch rush was over and she looked forward to the end of her work day in two hours. Penny didn't like her job. Actually she hated it. Her shifts, especially at the weekends, often lay so adversely they tarnished her private life. In addition the work was extremely stressful at times. It also didn't help that her personal relationship with the restaurant manager was strained for quite some time. At least the restaurant paid her a fair salary, which was enough to pay the rent for her small apartment. She was also able to put a few dollars aside now and then, but it certainly wasn't fulfillment she experienced at this place. After finishing high school, she entered Community College to study art and history, but dropped out after two years when she failed at some courses. Her intention was to job for a while and then return to college for a new start. Two years later, she still had the job, but somehow she couldn't find the motivation to return to college again, much to the dislike of her parents.

Penny just finished to clean a table, when Leonard, Howard and Raj entered the almost empty restaurant and sat down at a table near the entrance. Howard and Raj at one side, Leonard at the other. Penny brought the cleaning rag back to kitchen, grabbed three menus when she returned to the dining area and approached the table which had been occupied by the three men. "Hi! I'm Penny", she said with a friendly smile on her face. "I'll be your waitress for this afternoon." She handed out a menu to each of the men, who all looked up at her and simultaneously uttered a timid 'Hi'. It was so cute, it made her chuckle. "How about some drinks as a starter?" Howard and Raj placed their orders. Actually Howard placed the order for Raj too, since Raj couldn't talk to women. After noting Howard and Raj's orders on her pad, Penny looked at the bespectacled young man with the curly brown hair and smiled at him. "And what can I get you?" Leonard didn't answer. He was mesmerized by Penny's beauty. Her long blonde hair was done in a ponytail, with a few strands hanging down at the side of her face. It was the face of an angel. It had soft, rounded features and very little make-up on. But what really mesmerized, no downright hypnotized Leonard, now that Penny looked at him directly, were her eyes. Those green, sparkling eyes. They had a beaming brilliance which he never saw before. The longer Leonard didn't say a work, the more awkward the silence at the table became, especially for Penny.

"Hey, Leonard! Stop dreaming!" Howard said and touched his arm, which brought Leonard's attention back to the two men across the table.

"Oh, sorry." Leonard cleared his throat and looked down to hide his blushing face. "Umm...a coke please. Thanks." _Wow, that's embarrassing. I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, just because I order a drink from a beautiful girl. I must look like a stumbling idiot._

Penny chuckled. _So, Leonard is his name. He's really cute._ "Great! I'll be right back with your drinks. In the meantime please have a look at our menus, so I can take your food orders." With a bright smile she plugged her pad into the pocket of her apron, turned on her heel and walked to the kitchen.

Leonard watched her go and sighed unwittingly. Howard and Raj rolled their eyes. "Dude, I think Cupid's arrow just hit you", Raj said and laughed.

"That's nonsense!" Leonard replied. "I just enjoyed the sight of a beautiful waitress."

"Yeah, and you wish you could hook up with her. Keep on dreaming." Howard teased him.

"Hey, why not? If we were in Pasadena I would ask for her phone number." Leonard folded his arms in front of him and executed a confident nod.

Howard grinned sarcastically. "Says the man, whose track record of girlfriends is really staggering."

"She smiled at me," Leonard countered.

"Because you are a guest. That's her job. Oh, and by the way, your sudden fit of mutism when she asked you for your drinking order certainly turned her really on." Howard said with another sarcastic grin.

"This girl is way out of your league. You wouldn't have the slightest chance to float her boat." Raj remarked matter-of-factly while looking at his menu.

Leonard was slightly annoyed now. "Shut up! Both of you! Why do we even talk about this? When we get our new car tomorrow, we drive on. And as soon as we leave this restaurant, none of us will see her ever again anyway."

Howard laughed. "Calm down, Leonard. We're just teasing you."

An hour later they had finished their food and paid the bill. Penny noticed that Leonard now apparently avoided eye contact on purpose. She noticed it before, but this time it was really conspicuous. The whole time he seemed to look on the floor. However, their eyes met at one point. It was only a split second. Leonard quickly looked down, but he couldn't restist to look up at Penny again. And again their eyes met. She smiled at him. Leonard shyly returned her smile and blushed. Penny felt herself blush a little too. _God, this guy is so cute._

When Leonard, Howard and Raj finally got up to leave the restaurant Penny thanked them all for their visit and wished them a nice day. She was astonished by the very generous tip the three men left for her. _Wow, that's the biggest tip I've ever got._ She walked to one of the windows of the restaurant and looked out. The three men were still in sight. _This Leonard seems to be a really nice guy. Too bad I probably won't ever see him again._ Penny sighed and walked back to table where the three men sat a few minutes ago to clear it.

* * *

All the way back to the motel Leonard couldn't get Penny out of his head. Her lovely smile and her gorgeous sparkling green eyes had put a spell on him. Was it really possible, that this beautiful girl had turned his head in such a short time? He had to get her out of his mind. They would leave Omaha the next day, and the odds of seeing her again leant towards zero. So why bother himself with unnecessary thoughts. Back in their motel room they talked about their further plans. When the new rental car would be available, they wanted to drive straight to Chicago, rejecting their initial plan to have an overnight stop in Des Moines.

* * *

Meanwhile Penny had finished her shift and was on her way to see her boyfriend Kurt. Actually she wanted to eat dinner with her parents and her brother, but she decided to pay Kurt a surprise visit at his apartment. They had to talk. She felt a shift in tone in their relationship lately. Something was going on with Kurt. He seemed to avoid her, as he excused himself with increasing frequency when they were supposed to have a date. And when it came to intimacy, there was absolutely no passion anymore. It felt like an annoying obligation. At least for her. Her parents were never excited about her relationship with Kurt. They thought Penny could do so much better than being the trophy of a tall, muscular guy with a peabrain. And deep inside of her Penny had already started to think the same. Her love for him was definitely gone, if it was even ever there. It was rather teenage infatuation for tall buff guys than real love and affection that led to this relationship with Kurt. But somehow she wasn't able to break up with him yet. For her it was kinda comfortable to be together with someone, despite her true feelings. She never really thought about that being together with someone for the wrong reasons was the perfect way to become dissatisfied and unhappy.

Penny had a key to Kurt's apartment, so she didn't have to use the doorbell. Kurt tried to persuade Penny many times to move in with him, but she liked her own apartment. As soon as she opened the door of the apartment, she heard noises from the bedroom. Unambiguous noises. She walked over to the room and slowly opened the door. And there he was. Her boyfriend Kurt doing another girl. They didn't even notice Penny's presence. Tears shot into Penny's eyes. Just in that moment Kurt and his acquaintance noticed Penny standing in the door. "Oh no!" Kurt exclaimed with eyes wide open. Penny turned around and ran out of the apartment.

* * *

Around the time when Penny had finished her workday at the restaurant Leonard, Howard and Raj sat around a table in their motel room and were about to finalize the third round of 'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a'. For Leonard, who was totally wrapped up in the game and won the first two rounds, it had the effect, that Penny was out of his head for the time being.

Howard laid his card on the table. "Molten river."

"I play nightshade dryad. Game, set and match," Leonard exclaimed triumphantly. "Three games in a row. I'm on a roll."

"Yeah, yeah. Pure luck." Raj said with an annoyed expression on his face.

Leonard took the cards from the table and wanted to start another round. "Round four, gentlemen."

Howard stopped Leonard with a wave of his hand. "No, thanks. He went over to the bag, which contained their food for the journey. It was almost empty. "Hey, we need new food for our drive to Chicago tomorrow. There's only one box of crackers left. And something for tonight wouldn't be bad either."

Leonard stood up from the table. "OK. I'll go and get us something for tonight and the drive tomorrow. There's a grocery across the street." He grabbed his wallet and went out the door.

* * *

Ten minutes later Leonard came out of the grocery with a bag full of food. _Well, that should be enough for tonight and tomorrow until we arrive in Chicago._ While he stepped out on the sidewalk, he didn't notice the young woman who came out of the door, that was the entrance to the apartments above the grocery. And as fate has ordained, Penny bumped into Leonard at full tilt.

The bag fell on the floor and tore open. As a result its content was strewn around the sidewalk. Penny's jostle against Leonard was so vigorous, that he not only dropped the bag of foods, but he also lost his balance and landed on his bottom. "What the hell?!"

"I'm so sorry. I was lost in thoughts and didn't pay attention to where I was going", Penny said startled. "Please let me help you." She reached out her hand and helped Leonard to get up. As soon as he was on his feet again, she looked at the young man again and recognized the cute bespectacled guy with the shy smile from the restaurant she waited on earlier. "Leonard?"

"Hi Penny!" Leonard was utterly surprised and could hardly believe his luck to see her again."Umm...Nice to meet you again." He shyly smiled at her and brushed off the dirt from his pants.

"Again, I'm so sorry." Penny apologized. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Everything's safe and sound," Leonard replied with a chuckle. "What about you?" In that moment he noticed her sad and teary eyes.

"Everything's ok with me," Penny answered. "Let me help you gather up your groceries." She bent down and together they put the groceries back into the bag. "I fear you have to hold your hand under the bag, since it has burst open. And that's all my fault."

"Don't worry about it!" Leonard said to her. "The main thing is that all the groceries are still in one piece."

While they gathered up the groceries from the sidewalk, their eyes met again every so often, which caused a blush on Leonard's face each time. But he also was concerned about her sad and teary eyes. "Umm...It's really none of my business and we absolutely don't know each other, but...Umm...You seem to be sad. May I ask if everything's okay?"

"Fine, why not!" Penny sighed. "I just came out of my boyfriend's..." She paused for a moment to rephrase her sentence. "No...my ex-boyfriend's apartment where I caught him in the act with another girl," putting extra emphasis on the word 'ex'.

Leonard didn't know what to say. "Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. He cheated on me for quite some time. I knew it somehow, but now I have the proof." Penny picked a cookie box up from the floor. "I should have dumped this jerk long ago."

Suddenly Kurt came out of the front door of the apartment building. He planted himself in front of Penny, who just put the cookie box into Leonard's bag. "Oh good, You're still here. Please let me explain, honey."

Penny yelled at him. "Don't call me honey. And what do you want to explain to me? I've caught you with another woman in bed doing her. There's nothing to explain."

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Please give me a second chance. I'll make it up to you," Kurt tried to calm her down.

Penny became really furious and practically screamed. "Are you kidding me? You have the nerve to say you will make it up to me, while that bitch is still in your apartment."

Leonard, who immediately flinched at the first sight of Kurt and his enormous body size felt very uncomfortable. Being a witness of a fight between a couple, or ex-couple, in public, where everyone could hear what's going on, was really awkward.

"Ah, c'mon. I send her home and we can talk about it. C'mon! Please!" Kurt begged.

"You don't get it. It's over." Penny threw her key of Kurt's apartment at him and walked away.

Kurt grabbed the key from the sidewalk and turned to Leonard who instinctively flinched again. "And who are you? Why are you listening to a private talk with me and my girlfriend? Get lost, little man."

Penny heard that and turned around. "Hey, first of all, I'm not your girlfriend anymore. And second. Leave him alone." She looked at Leonard. "Would you escort me to my car, please?" With a nod Leonard stepped at Penny's side and they both went off.

Kurt narrowed his eyes to a slit. "Screw you, Penny! I don't need you. I'm better off without you anyway," he shouted and walked back to his apartment. Penny didn't turn around, but her eyes were filled with tears again.

Leonard walked next to Penny in silence, holding the bag of food and taking care nothing fell out of it. Tears were streaming down Penny's cheeks. Leonard wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. _She's so beautiful, even when she's heartbroken. I don't want her to be heartbroken. If I only knew how to make her feel better. Then again she just broke up with her boyfriend a few minutes ago. She needs time to get over it._ These thoughts made Leonard very sad himself, because he realized he wouldn't see her again, as soon as they would arrive her car. He couldn't comfort her. There was simply no time. She would drive away and that's it. He was torn from his thoughts when Penny spoke to him. "Here's my car. Thank you for escorting me."

"You're welcome." Leonard smiled at her. "I'm going back to my motel room now. Howard and Raj certainly wonder where I am."

Penny had stopped to cry by now. "Sorry for causing you so much trouble," she said. "And sorry you had to witness this embarrassing scene with my ex."

"No problem," Leonard assured her. "You don't have to apologize."

A little smile formed on Penny's face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Whatever you want."

"What are you doing here in Omaha? I guess you are not from here."

"No, we are from Pasadena, California. We are on a coast to coast road trip," Leonard explained. "Our rental car was damaged, so we needed a new one, which we will get tomorrow. We have to stay overnight and tomorrow we continue our trip. Next stop Chicago."

"Wow! That's so cool." Penny's face lit up a little bit more, before she became serious again. "You know, I just realized that I wasted four years in a relationship with a cheating idiot and I'm stuck in a dead end job which I absolutely hate. I'd love nothing better than to quit my crappy job and join you on your road trip."

Leonard smiled. "That's fine by me." Then he saw that Penny wasn't smiling. "Umm...You can't possibly mean that!"

Penny cocked her head. "What if I mean it? This would be a chance for me to escape this crap here for a while. I could recharge my batteries." Again, a little smile formed on Penny's face. "Do you have a free seat for another passenger?"

Leonard was totally perplexed. Was this girl, this beautiful girl, he thought he would never see again, and whose wonderful sparkling green eyes put a spell on him, actually wanting to join their road trip? He had to be dreaming. "Are you really sure? What about your job? Oh, and our journey is supposed to end in New York City in about two weeks. We take a plane there to get back to California. How would you get back to Omaha?"

"First, I quit this job without batting an eyelash," Penny answered. "I'll find another one, when I come back. Everything's better than the one I have now. Second, I have some savings. I can afford a plane ticket back to Nebraska. Oh, and of course I would participate in covering all costs incurred, like food, motel rooms and gas money. I promise. What do you say?" She looked at Leonard expectantly.

"Well, this is really a surprise. A few minutes ago I thought we'd say goodbye and would never see each other again. Something I already thought when we left the restaurant this afternoon, by the way. If it was up to me, you are definitely in."

"Yeah, I know." Penny paused for a few seconds. "We don't know each other, but my gut is telling me I can trust you and your friends. And during the trip we have enough time to get to know each other."

"You are really determined to join us," Leonard said and smiled.

Penny nodded. "Yep! And you can trust me too. I swear I'm not a member of a gang who's robbing people on a journey. Cross my heart!" She smiled and made the corresponding gesture with the forefinger of her right hand.

"You don't look like a criminal. I trust you", Leonard chuckled. He looked at Penny and continued to speak in a tone of amused disbelief. "Wow! Who would have thought that! September 24, 2007, the date Penny asked a guy she just met, if she could join him and his friends on a road trip."

Penny laughed. "Yeah, that doesn't happen very often."

Leonard had to laugh too. "Well, OK then. But there's still one thing. Would you come with me to my motel room, to talk with my friends Howard and Raj to see if they are okay with it?"

"Sure thing!" Penny said.

Leonard felt as if he would walk on air, when he and Penny went to the motel, where Howard and Raj were waiting. He still couldn't believe that this girl he just met about three hours ago in a restaurant, which should be an onetime thing, and then met again by chance wanted to join their road trip. It was surreal, and yet it was happening. He wasn't dreaming.

* * *

Howard and Raj couldn't believe their eyes, when they saw Leonard entering their motel room with a blonde beautiful girl. And it was not just a girl. It was Penny, the waitress.

"Hey, I'm back." Leonard said cheerfully. "As you can see I have company."

"Hi, guys. I'm Penny", she said with a smile and waved at Howard and Raj, who were completely flabbergasted. "Maybe you remember me from the restaurant you had a meal this afternoon. I waited on you. Oh, before I forget it. Thanks for the generous tip you left for me. That was so nice."

Howard found his voice again and jumped up from the bed he was sitting on and took a bow."Bonsoir Mademoiselle. Howard Wolowitz, Cal-Tech department of Applied Physics. You may be familiar with some of my work, it's currently orbiting Jupiter's largest moon taking high-resolution digital photographs."

"No, not really," Penny replied with a questioning look on her face.

"Things can always change," Howard winked. "To what do we owe the honour of this visit, young lady?"

Penny had to giggle. Howard's antics were funny, but also a little bit weird. "Well, I'd like to join you on your road trip to New York."

Howard's jaw fell, and Raj dropped the book he was holding.

Penny picked the book up and gave it back to Raj. "You must be Raj."

Raj looked at Penny, then he looked back at his book, took a sip of water and looked at the ceiling.

Penny was a little taken aback by Raj's strange behaviour. "Uh, I'm sorry. Do you speak English?"

Howard answered for Raj. "Oh, he speaks English, he just can't speak to women."

Penny was dumbfounded. "Really? Why?"

"Well, he's a weird guy", Howard grinned.

"Umm...ookaay...So, you don't mind if I join you on your road trip?" Penny asked. "Oh, I already told this Leonard. Of course I would participate in covering all costs incurred. You know food, motel rooms, gas money."

Howard was hooked. "Are you kidding me? I'd be very disappointed, when I wouldn't see you in our car tomorrow. I'll save you a place next to me. Oh and I'm willing to share a motel room with you...and my bed."

"Ugh! No, thanks," Penny said with a disgusted facial expression, while Leonard rolled his eyes and made a gesture with one of his hands, indicating Howard to shut up.

"Your loss!" With a flop Howard sat down on his bed again.

"I think, I'll get over it." Penny rolled her eyes and turned to Raj. "What about you Raj? Are you okay that I accompany you?"

Raj just smiled awkwardly, nodded and gave a thumbs up.

Penny was happy and cracked a bright smile. "Great! Then I go home now and pack a few things." She took a piece of paper and a pencil, which lay on the table next to her, and wrote something on it. She gave Leonard the note. "Here's my address and my phone number, Sweetie. Please call me, when you car is ready. I'll wait for you at my apartment." She walked to the door and waved goodbye to Leoanard, Howard and Raj. "Bye. See you tomorrow." The three men beckoned back. Penny smiled, opened the door and left the room.

As soon as Penny had left the room Howard jumped up from the bed again. "OK, Leonard. You owe us an explanation. What's going on here?"

"Yeah, spill!" Raj added.

Leonard started to explain. "Well, when I came out of the grocery Penny bumped into me. She asked me what we were doing here, so I told her about our road trip and she wanted to join us."

"Yeah, right! Just because." Howard interrupted him.

"No, of course not just because," Leonard continued. "She just broke up with her boyfriend and she hates her job, which she will probably quit while we are talking here. So she thought, joining our road trip would give her the chance to escape the troubles she has here and to recharge her batteries."

"Broke up with her boyfriend, you say? So she needs comfort. Something only I can give her," Howard bragged. "You'll see. By the end of our trip I will be her new boyfriend."

Raj objected. "Forget it dude! She will fall for me first."

"You can't even talk to women," Howard scoffed.

"I will seduce her with my eyes." Raj looked at Howard trying to make seductive eyes.

"Stop it, you both. That's creepy," Leonard cut them short. "Here are the rules. When I drive, Penny will sit next to me in the passenger seat. And when one of you is driving, Penny and I will sit on the back seat."

Howard smirked. "Clever, Hofstadter! You already have a plan to win her over."

Leonard sighed. "I just want to make her trip as comfortable as possible. We want to leave a good impression on her after all. Right?"

Howard put Leonard off. "Yeah, sure! You're wasting your breath! It's quite obvious you have a crush on her." He and Raj mockingly made kissing noises.

"What?" Leonard said with a high-pitched voice. "That's not true". Seeing that Howard and Raj just sneered, Leonard gave up. "Ah shucks! You can think what you want! Here's the stuff I bought."

For the rest of the evening the three men watched TV and ate some snacks. While Howard and Raj kept an eye on the TV, Leonard found it difficult to pay attention, his mind occupied with thoughts of Penny. He would spent the next two weeks with this beautiful girl. Something he still couldn't believe. Still preoccupied with thoughts of Penny he went to bed.

* * *

After leaving the motel Penny went straight to the restaurant where she was working and quit her job. Quick and easy. The restaurant manager didn't even try to persuade her to stay. He wished her good luck for the future and with that this chapter was over.

At home in her little apartment Penny packed all necessary things she would need during the next two weeks. When she finished packing she flopped down on her couch and called her parents Wyatt and Susan, who lived on a farm in a little town near Omaha. She had expected that her parents wouldn't be excited, that her 21-year-old daughter wanted to go on a road trip with three men, she just met a few hours before. Joining a road trip with three total strangers on the spur of the moment couldn't be a good idea. And at first her parents wanted to forbid the trip, but after a long talk Penny could convince her parents that she would know what she was doing and there would be no reason to be worried. She could take care of herself. Penny knew the three men were okay, especially Leonard, to which she already felt a connection. Of course she also told her parents that she had quit her waitressing job and that she broke up with Kurt. The latter was well received by her parents, while the job thing caused some concern but eventually Wyatt and Susan accepted it.

After the phone call with her parents Penny watched a little TV before she went off to sleep. She lay in her bed and thought about what happened today. She sensed this day was a turning point in her life. The start of a new chapter. Tomorrow would be the beginning of a journey into the unknown. But she wasn't afraid. Quite the contrary. She felt an excitement and a thrill of anticipation like never before. She couldn't wait to see what the following two weeks would bring for her.

Her thoughts went back to the events of the day. She caught Kurt cheating, which made it easy to end this farce of a relationship with him. She ran away and bumped into one of the guys she waited on shortly before. And this guy and his friends who happened to undertake a coast to coast road trip would take her along on this road trip and let her escape all the troubles she experienced here at home. She smiled. _It's funny how life goes. Is it destiny? Is Leonard thinking it's destiny too?_ Her thoughts completey turned to Leonard now. _Leonard!_ Leonard was so different than all the guys she met so far. But in a good way. She knew him just for a short time, but she was sure he was a great guy. He wasn't just cute, but he also seemed to be a friendly and caring person. And those glances they exchanged. Why was she blushing? _Something's going on here._ With thoughts of Leonard she drifted off to sleep.

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I really appreciate them and they are a great encouragement for me. I hope you enjoy the second chapter of this story.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from The Big Bang Theory. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 2

Leonard was the first who awoke the next morning. _Crap, we forgot to set the alarm. We have surely overslept._ He grabbed his watch and breathed a sigh of relief, when he saw it was only half past six. The employee at the car rental company told them their new car would be available between seven and eight o'clock in the morning. Leonard leapt out of bed and woke up Howard and Raj, who slept together in one bed.

Howard sat up, yawned loudly and stretched himself. "Morning. What time is it?"

"It's six thirty," Leonard replied. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he started to get dressed. "I'll get us some coffee and bagels. There are sandwiches in the grocery bag from yesterday evening."

Fifteen minutes later they sat around the table in their motel room and ate breakfast. Raj took a sip of coffee. "We haven't talked about the sleeping arrangements yet. Where will Penny sleep?" He looked at Leonard. "I bet you'd like to share a room with her," he said winking.

"Of course she will have a room for herself," Leonard replied matter-of-factly.

Howard smirked. "Ah, that's even better. So we are undisturbed, when we do the dance with no pants. That's inevitable, when women are around me."

Leonard rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You are impossible. Do you really have just this one thing in your head?"

Howard grinned contentedly. "Hey, I'm just a man. A Wolowitz man. We are womanizers. It's in our blood."

Wordless, Leonard just shook his head again and continued to eat his sandwich.

When they finished breakfast, they all had their morning wash. Leonard was the last who came out of the bathroom. "OK, I'll call the car rental now." He grabbed his phone and dialed the number. It was a short conversation with an positive outcome. "Our new car is ready. Now I'll call Penny." Suddenly he became nervous. With shaky hands he dialed the number Penny wrote on the piece of paper the evening before. He heard the free line signal and waited in anticipation for Penny's sing-song voice.

Penny was still sleeping when her phone rang. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was twenty minutes past seven. She had set the alarm for seven o'clock, but obviously she missed hearing it. Bleary-eyed she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Good morning Penny, it's Leonard."

"Oh! Hi Leonard!" she yawned. "I'm sorry I sound terrible. I was still sleeping, 'cause I missed hearing the alarm. I set it for seven o'clock. I hope I don't jeopardize your plans."

"No! Don't worry. I just called the car rental a few minutes ago. They said our new car is ready for pickup." Leonard paused for a few seconds. "Umm...This is your last chance to bail out of this. Do you still want to join us on our road trip?" he asked tentatively, as he still had the apprehension that Penny could back down at the last minute.

"Are you kidding me?" came Penny's immediate answer. "I get ready in no time. Don't you dare to leave me here."

Leonard laughed. He was relieved. "Alrighty! We will pick up the car and then we'll come up to your place as fast as possible. I looked up your address on a map. We'll be with you around eight o'clock. Is that okay?"

"Of course. I'll wait for you at my place."

"Great! See you."

"Bye Leonard."

Penny hit the red button on her phone to end the call and leapt out of her bed. She went to the small kitchen area of her apartment and turned on the radio. It was tuned in to one of her favorite songs. "Woohoo!" Right off the bat she bagan to sing and dance. The prospect of this road trip made her really happy. Kurt was forgotten, she had only this trip in mind...and Leonard. Yes, she couldn't wait to see Leonard again. While she was still singing and dancing she made herself a cup of coffee and toasted a bagel. She looked at the little clock that stood next to her coffee machine. It was nearly half past seven. _In thirty minutes I'll see Leonard again._ This thought made her smile from ear to ear.

While Penny ate breakfast and got ready, Leonard, Howard and Raj checked out of the motel and went with their luggage to the car rental. Fifteen minutes later, after finishing all necessary paperwork, they were on their way to Penny's place to pick her up.

* * *

Leonard, Howard and Raj arrived at Penny's place nearly at eight o'clock sharp. Penny already waited for them. The weather reports forcasted warm and sunny weather in Iowa and Illinois with temperatures in the high 70's, so Penny opted for light summer clothing. She wore a pale blue shirt with purple floral patterns, blue denim shorts and low, brown padded boots. She stood with her luggage in front of her apartment building. Leonard who saw her first when he turned into Penny's street was dazzled by her appearance. Her long blond hair were open and waved gently in the light breeze of this mild and sunny September morning. She was truly a gorgeous beauty. As soon as Penny recognized Leonard behind the windshield of the car which was driving on the road towards her apartment building she waved joyfully.

Leonard stopped the car next to Penny and got out a few moments later. "Hi Penny," he said with his trademark shy smile.

"Hi Leonard," she replied with a smile as bright as the sun. Much to Leonard's surprise she hugged him enthusiastically, which was suspiciously observed by Howard and Raj from the back seat of the car.

"Wow, what a nice reception." Leonard took Penny's luggage and put it into the trunk. Then he went to the passenger door and opened it for Penny, so she could enter the car to take a seat.

"Thanks Leonard, you're a real gentlemen." Penny looked at Leonard and smiled at him, which inevitably resulted in a blush on Leonard's cheeks. But Leonard's shy respond to her smile had the same effect. She blushed as well.

"Umm...you're welcome," Leonard said and closed the passenger door.

When Penny had taken her seat in the car she turned around to greet Howard and Raj. "Hi Howard! Hi Raj!"

Raj just smiled sheepishly and waved at Penny. Howard bent forward. "Hi Penny! Your sheer presence in this car gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling, especially in the southern regions of my body."

Penny screwed up her face. "Eww, yuck! Conversation over!"

Raj giggled at Penny's reaction, which led to a glare from Howard. "At least I can talk to her," he said boastfully. Since Raj couldn't counter this, he sadly lowered his head.

Penny rolled her eyes, shook her head and turned to Leonard who just entered the car and sat down behind the wheel. She leant over and whispered in his ear. "Is he always so creepy?"

Leonard chuckled. "Yes!"

Penny put on the seatbelt and clapped her hands. "Let's go!"

Leonard and Howard joined in. "Let's go!"

With bright smiles on all of their faces Leonard started the engine and pulled away in direction of the Interstate 80. The plan was to drive the route from Omaha to Chicago in 8 hours, including a break and a change of driver at a rest area in Tiffin, Iowa. If everything would go according to plan, they could arrive in Chicago at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

* * *

Over the next four hours on the Interstate from Omaha to Tiffin, there was not much talking. Leonard concentrated on driving, Penny listened to music via her iPod, and Howard and Raj were engrossed in playing games on their phones. Every now and then Penny asked Leonard where they were, smiling at each other and just enjoying the drive through the midwestern United States.

Just before they arrived in Tiffin around noon for their break and a change of driver, Penny looked over to Leonard. "This is really amazing so far. You know, I was out of Omaha before, but I was never out of Nebraska."

"Really?" Leonard asked surprised.

"Yeah," Penny explained. "All my relatives and friends live in Omaha or in places near Omaha and my parents never travelled around in the country let alone untertaking a journey abroad. It will be so exciting to see Chicago and New York. And then flying home. This will also be a first time for me. I never flew before."

* * *

In Tiffin, Iowa they had a break of thirty minutes. They ate something at the eastbound Tiffin rest area, where they also decided who would supersede Leonard as new driver for the route to Chicago. Raj, who took the opportunity to speak because Penny was at the women's restroom, volunteered. When Penny returned Leonard talked to her about the seating arrangements. "Umm...Raj is driving now. You can keep your seat if you want. In this case I would sit with Howard on the back seat."

Penny thought about it for a few seconds. "Well, I would like to sit next to you Leonard for now. No offense Raj, but somehow I'm already used to Leonard next to me." Raj gave her a sympathetic nod.

Leonard wanted to be sure. "I really don't want to force you to sit next to me. It has to be your free decision."

Penny insisted. "No, it's okay Leonard. I want to sit next to you." She turned to Howard and Raj with an apologetically look on her face. "Again. It's really nothing against you two."

Howard put Penny off. "Nah! We'll have enough time outside the car to get close. If you know what I mean." During the last part he tried to look seductively at Penny.

"Ugh! Okay, now I really don't want to sit next to you," Penny said in disgust. Then she looked at Raj. "Well, in your case. If you could only talk to me." Raj shrugged his shoulders and smiled awkwardly. They walked back to the car and continued their road trip.

* * *

During the next three and a half hours en route to Chicago it was very quiet inside the car. Howard slept in the passenger seat, while Penny and Leonard did the same on the back seat. There was not much traffic on the Interstate and no specific incidents, apart from some road works near Moline, Illinois at the interchange where the Interstate 80 crossed the Interstate 88. But it had no effect on their schedule.

Leonard woke up, as they drove into Aurora, a suburb of Chicago, because he felt a weight on his chest. While she slept, Penny's upper body slipped sideways and her head landed on Leonard's chest. He smelt the apple scent of her shampoo. It was beguiling. He savored the scent and the fact, that Penny more or less rested on him. After a few minutes Leonard carefully tried to push Penny back into her normal sitting position without waking her up. He failed in the attempt and Penny awoke. "Are we in Chicago yet?" Penny asked drowsily.

Leonard looked out of the window. "I don't know. Raj, where are...forget it." He bent forward and looked at the navigation device. "Aurora, Illinois. We are almost there."

* * *

A few minutes past four in the afternoon, they arrived their destination. A hotel four miles south of downtown Chicago near the Lake Michigan shoreline, where they wanted to stay for two nights. It wasn't the best hotel ever, but more than okay for the price they had to pay. They checked in and brought their luggage to their rooms. One room for Leonard, Howard and Raj and another one for Penny. Each room was equipped with two double beds and some nice amenities. After they had settled down, they all met to eat something at the hotel café. Afterwards they drove to downtown Chicago to get some first impressions of the city. Penny soaked everything up like a sponge and took an enormous quantity of pictures. She was impressed by the all the skyscrapers. They had a few skyscrapers in Omaha too, but the density and the amount of these highrise buildings in Chicago was amazing. The next day she wanted to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, the second-largest art museum in the US, after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Penny hoped the others would accompany her, but secretly she hoped only Leonard would go with her.

* * *

They returned to the hotel around 9 p.m. Penny wanted to treat the guys to a few drinks at a bar to let the day fade away. They found a nice and cozy bar near the hotel. They went inside and sat at a table for four persons. "What do you guys wanna drink?" she asked them. They all opted for a beer, which was served a few minutes later by a very friendly waitress. They started to engage in small talk and telling jokes. It was Penny who particularly had a lot to tell and turned out to be a really funny and bubbly person. Leonard was fascinated by her personality and could listen to her anecdotes four hours. Her growing up on a farm and being a popular girl in high school provided a lot of really hilarious, and sometimes hard to believe stories.

Suddenly Raj spoke up. "Penny, your stories are fabulous. You should be a stand-up comedian."

Penny was astonished. "Umm...are you talking to me?"

Raj looked at Penny with a puzzled expression on his face. "Is there another Penny here?"

Leonard and Howard looked at each other and were baffled, while Raj continued to talk to Penny. "You really should be on a stage and tell jokes. And you know what? I could be your partner. Together we would be the new comedy duo 'Koothrapenny'. We would take the world by storm. You know, I'm an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech, and that's great. But is this my real destiny? Ever since I was a little boy my father wanted me to be a gynaecologist like him. How can I be a gynaecologist, I can barely look a woman in the eye. No, I was born to be an entertainer, or a party planner. Wait, I could be both. But my parents would never allow this. They always want to control and determine every aspect of my life. But these times are over now. I'm not going to let my parents control me any longer. No way!"

Penny was taken aback by Raj's flood of words. "Okay, Raj. I think that's the beer talking."

Raj ignored her. "It's about time to tell my parents that I'm not dancing after their pipe anymore. I bet they are also the reason I cannot talk to women." Whiningly he took another sip of his beer.

Leonard wanted to draw Raj's attention to the fact, that he was talking to a woman in this very moment. "Umm...Raj..."

Howard interrupted Leonard. "No, no. Let's see how long it takes him."

Penny looked at Raj. "Umm...Raj. You say you can't talk to women but you've been talking to me."

Raj was suddenly overcome by the realization that he indeed talked to a woman. "You're right. I'm talking to you. Hello Penny! How are you?"

Penny smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"I can talk to women," Raj said louder than it was appropriate, which caused some attendants in the bar to turn their heads in the direction of the talkative astrophysicist.

"Yeah, when you have a booze," Howard scoffed.

"Whatever!" Raj replied. "We have to celebrate this."

Raj ordered a new round of beer for all. In the first flush of excitement Raj wanted to treat the whole bar to a drink, but the others could stop him from doing this with reference to the negative effects it would have on their travel budget. While it was the second and last beer for Leonard and Penny who wisely switched to soft drinks and water, Howard and Raj continued to toss down one beer after another. Around 11 p.m. Leonard and Penny could convince the two drunkards to leave the bar and call it a night. Howard and Raj were drunk as a skunk and extremely wobbly on their legs. Leonard and Penny had to support them, otherwise they would have tumbled the whole time. Somehow they managed to get back to the hotel. Leonard pushed Howard and Raj into their room, where both fell face downward on one of the beds. Penny wished Leonard a good night and went to her room, which was right next to the guy's room.

Leonard went into his room and closed the door. He had to chuckle, when he saw Howard and Raj moaning on their bed. The sight of his two dead drunk friends on a bed was too funny. He pulled out his phone from a pocket of his hoodie and took a picture. The flashlight of the phone camera prompted Howard and Raj to moan even more. "Boy, tomorrow you two will have the hangover of the century," Leonard laughed and took a few more pictures.

Suddenly Raj rolled down from the bed and crawled on all fours to the bathroom. Moments later the sounds of vomiting could be heard. "I think I have to puke too," Howard babbled and rolled down from the bed as well. Exactly like Raj he crawled on all fours to the bathroom to join him in a barfing fest. Since the toilet was occupied Howard had to make do with the sink.

Leonard was grossed out. "Wow! I don't need this the whole night." He grabbed the toiletries bag from his suitcase and went over to Penny's room.

* * *

Penny just came out of the bathroom and had put on a blue robe, when she heard a knock on the door. She looked through the peephole and saw it was Leonard. She immediately opened the door. "Hi Leonard! Still up?"

"Hi Penny! Can I stay in your room tonight?" Leonard asked. "Raj and Howard are really, really drunk and right now they puke their guts out. Not a pretty sight."

"Of course, come in," Penny answered with an inviting gesture, smiling at him.

Leonard entered the room and looked a little bit embarrassed. "I hope I haven't disturbed you. It seems you just wanted to go to bed."

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I'm not really tired and I don't have to go to work tomorrow," she winked. Penny went to the nightstand between the two beds in her room and took the remote that lay there to turn off the TV, which was still on. "We could talk a little. Please have a seat. Do you want something to drink?"

"A water please." Leonard sat down on the chair that stood in front of the table at one side of the room. "What do you wanna talk about?"

Penny gave Leonard a small water bottle and sat down opposite of him on the one bed, that was close to the door. "Well, you could tell me a little bit about you. I still don't know what you do for a living."

"Umm...I am an experimental physicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. Most of my research is with high-powered lasers."

"Cool! That sounds very interesting."

Penny's pretty short robe revealed her shapely legs which made it hard for Leonard to stay focused. This lovely sight was quite distracting, so he didn't pay attention to Penny's words for a moment. Also her wonderful green sparkling eyes began to mesmerize him again as he looked up at her once he realized he had stared at her legs. He cleared his throat. "Umm...pardon? What did you say?"

Penny had to chuckle. She couldn't do otherwise but to notice that Leonard was staring at her legs. It was too cute. "I said, your work with lasers sounds very interesting."

"Oh...Oh yes, it is." Leonard began to tell Penny more about his work, and the work of Howard and Raj. He also told her how he came to Pasadena a few years ago. Then he told her about his education in Princeton and he also told her about his peculiar roommate Sheldon.

Penny chuckled. "This Sheldon seems to be a real wackadoodle."

Leonard agreed. "Yes, he is."

"And you're a real doctor?" Penny asked.

"Yes, I'm a Ph.D."

"Wow, that's really impressive."

"Enough from me. Now tell me about you," Leonard requested.

"There's not much to tell. Two years ago I dropped out of college. I studied art and history, but somehow I couldn't keep pace with performance requirements, so I failed at some courses. Another strong interest that I have is acting. I was in drama club in high school and in college. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of moving to L.A. and becoming a professional actress. But at one point I gave up this dream and thought it would be more realistic to go to college and get a degree." Suddenly Penny's mood changed and she looked down to the floor. "But I failed at both. Neither have I followed my dream and moved to L.A. nor could I finish college. I'm a failure."

"No Penny, don't say this." Leonard objected. "I only met you yesterday, but I can already say for sure you're certainly not a failure. Don't ever think that. You're funny, you're kind and you have such an engaging personality." Penny looked up at him while he spoke. Tears began to form in her eyes. Leonard continued to speak, looking straight into Penny's eyes. "Please don't give up your dreams. You can go back to college and you can still pursue your dream of acting. You're young, all doors are still open to you."

"That's so nice to say." Penny wiped off the tears. "Thank you for believing in me, although you know me just for such a short time. People like you are few and far between. Other than my parents or my siblings, no one ever encouraged me to do something or believed in me."

"Not even your ex-boyfriend?" Leonard asked unbelieving.

"No, not even him. Not in four years," Penny sighed. "But let's not talk about him. I want to forget this jerk."

"Of course", Leonard said. "I'm so glad you are here with us on this trip."

"Yes, me too. I wanna thank you for taking me along on your trip. I'm so lucky I met you and your friends. You dragged me out of my misery in Omaha and gave me this great opportunity to leave my sorrows behind for a while. I can't thank you enough Leonard. Really!" She got up from the bed, hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're a great guy Leonard. I like you. I already consider you a really good friend."

Leonard savored this moment. Penny considered him a friend, although they knew each other just for a short while. He felt that this conversation was the beginning of something really special between him and Penny. And Penny felt the same. But she also felt something else. Something she never felt in this intensity before. She had butterflies in her stomach, when she saw Leonard and when she was near him.

Both said good night to each other for the second time this evening and went to bed. Leonard into the one that was close to the door and Penny to the other one that was close to the bathroom. As they both drifted off to sleep they thought of the days that lay before them and they thought about the feelings they had developed for each other.

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks again for all the reviews. Here's the third chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 3

The first rays of the rising sun illuminated the hotel room in which Leonard and Penny laid in their beds. Penny was the first who woke up. Normally she wasn't a morning person, and if she doesn't need to get up early, she considered everything before 11 a.m. the middle of the night and would punch everybody in the throat who would dare to get her out of her cozy sleeping place before this specific time. But this time it was different. Penny was on an exciting road trip and under no circumstances she wanted to waste any precious time. So, she got out of bed to start the new day. First she decided to check the weather outside and went to the window to look out. The huge sea-like body of water of Lake Michigan lay under an almost cloudless sky. The morning sun gave the surface of the water a glistening radiance, while the sky itself was colored in the most wonderful shades of yellow and orange. _Nature paints the most beautful pictures_ , Penny thought. She relished the sight for a few minutes, happy to be at this place in this very moment.

When she turned around she looked at the still sleeping Leonard. He calmly breathed in and out and looked so cute. The blanket didn't cover his upper body, so Penny could see his actually well defined upper arms. She didn't want to wake him up, but Leonard's biological clock prompted him to awake just in this moment. He slowly opened his eyes. "Good morning Penny."

Penny smiled. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Leonard smiled back and yawned with his hand in front of his mouth. "What time is it?"

"It's seven o'clock. Normally I would be sound asleep at this time on days I don't need to get up early. Seven in the morning is like the middle of the night for me," Penny chuckled.

"So you're a slugabed," Leonard stated.

"Yes, but not on this trip." Penny said. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yes, I can't complain," Leonard answered. "What about you?"

"I had the best sleep for a long time," Penny replied. "Your presence in this room obviously had a relaxing effect on me."

Leonard got out of bed and stretched. They had a little small talk about the hotel and the weather, before Penny mentioned Howard and Raj."I wonder if they had noticed you weren't sleeping in your room last night."

"I doubt it. I guess they were busy with throwing up the whole night." Leonard imitated a puking person, which made Penny giggle. "I'll see what Howard and Raj are doing," he said.

Penny ran her fingers through her messy hair. "And while you're doing this, I'll have a shower."

"Okay! Let's meet at eight to have breakfast in the hotel café." Leonard suggested. "What do you think of that?"

"Sounds good."

"Great! See you later." Leonard waved at Penny and grabbed his toiletries bag, which lay on a small table next to the door.

* * *

Leonard stepped out of Penny's room, and as chance would have it Howard came out of the guy's room. He looked like an example par excellence for somebody who's having a hangover. But seeing Leonard coming out of Penny's room let Howard forget his throbbing head for a moment. "Well, well, well! Someone got laid last night."

Leonard shook his head. "As always you have your mind in the gutter. Penny and I just had a nice talk."

"Dirty talk?" Howard smirked, which triggered a sudden headache attack. He gave a whimper of pain and massaged his temples.

"No, just a normal conversation among adults," Leonard replied a little bit unnerved.

"Yeah, right!" Howard said unbelieving. "Oh...how do I feel you ask? Well, I took some headache pills and now I get me some fresh air. My head still hurts like a bitch. Just as if the mighty Thor constantly hits his hammer against it."

"Hey, no one has forced you to overdo it so excessively," Leonard retorted.

"Whatever!" Howard put him off. "Later you have to tell me all the dirty details of your sexy night with the blond goddess. Don't you dare to leave something out."

Leonard wanted to put it right again. "Like I said..."

Suddenly they heard a noise from inside their hotel room. It sounded like someone had knocked something over. Leonard quickly went into their room and saw that Raj had indeed knocked something over. The telephone from the nightstand between the beds lay on the floor. Raj had fallen out of bed and swept it away. "Dude, this hangover is killing me. I won't survive this day. Please tell my family I love them. Leonard, my friend. I leave my telescope to you. But please handle it with care."

Leonard chuckled. "You're not going to die, Raj."

"How can you know that?" Raj whined. "Are you a doctor?" He paused for a moment. "Wait, you are a doctor. Ah...you know what I mean."

Leonard reached out a hand and helped Raj to get back on the bed. "Hey, maybe a nice hangover breakfast will help you."

"Forget it, I'm not leaving this room today." Raj moaned. "I just want to die. Oh, I think it's happening...I can already see the light."

A flash of light fell in the darkened room as Howard came back and openend the door. He lurched towards the bed and flopped down on it next to Raj.

"Umm...I said to Penny we'll have breakfast in the hotel café in about an hour," Leonard tossed in.

"No, thanks," Howard mumbled into his pillow. "You can have your après l'amour breakfast with Penny alone. Oh, by the way." He bumped Raj next to him with his arm. "Our Leonard here had sex with Penny last night."

"What? I didn't even noticed he left the room last night," Raj said half asleep. "Lucky bastard. I want all details later."

Leonard sighed. "Penny and I didn't..." He didn't finish his sentence, because he suddenly heard quite loud snoring. Howard and Raj had fallen asleep. Leonard shook his head and went to the bathroom to have a shower. When he came out of the bathroom thirty minutes later, Howard and Raj were entangled in a tight embrace. It was a sight for the gods. Of course he had to take a picture of this with his phone. _The photo album of this road trip will be full of treasures._ For the next twenty minutes Leonard read some articles in a few science magazines he brought with him. It was his holiday reading so to say.

Two minutes to eight, Leonard left the hotel room. Howard and Raj were still sleeping, this time in a less awkward position.  
Leonard had left a note with some information for his friends.

 _Sorry guys! Penny and I had to head out without you. I'll text you from time to time about our whereabouts. If you two are feeling better, you can catch up with us later at a designated place. But you have to take a cab. See you. Leonard._

* * *

Leonard knocked on the door of Penny's hotel room. She opened it after a few seconds. The sight Penny provided was gorgeous. She wore an adorable blue spaghetti strap dress in polka-dots with a defined waist, whose hem fell below the knees. A large amount of her blond hair were pulled back and held in place with a cute barrette. Leonard who was dressed in his usual brown pants, t-shirt and hoodie was stunned by the beautiful young woman in front of him. "Umm...Wow, Penny! You look great."

Penny blushed deeply. "Thank you Leonard," she said with a coy smile.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep!" Penny closed the door and looked around. "Where are Howard and Raj?" she asked.

"They have a terrible hangover and are fast asleep. I fear, you have to make do with me," Leonard winked.

"I'd be glad to!" Penny smiled.

Together they walked to the hotel café. It offered an extensive breakfast buffet that was included in the price. They had freshly baked pastries and breads, many sorts of cereals, fruits, yoghurt, smoked and boiled ham, scrambled eggs, a great choice of cheeses, waffles, pancakes, omelettes, toast, bacon, sausages, skillet potatoes and grilled vegetables. Beverages included an rich choice of coffee, tea and juice. Leonard opted for croissants, pancakes and coffee, while Penny had fruits, a yoghurt and orange juice.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Leonard asked.

"Well," Penny answered, taking a sip of juice. "I'd like to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. It's a really great art museum, one of the oldest and largest in the United States. I don't know if you're interested in art, but I had hoped you would accompany me. I'm sure you'll like it."

"Of course I'll go with you. This sounds great," Leonard said cheerfully.

Penny clapped her hands. "Yay!" She was happy that Leonard would go with her. She had hoped for this.

* * *

Leonard and Penny finished their breakfast at nine o'clock and went straight to their rental car, that was parked in the courtyard of the hotel. Thanks to low traffic their drive to Grant Park, where the Chicago Art Institute was located, went off quite smoothly and in a considerable short time. Once there, finding a parking near the museum was the real challenge. After a while they found a cheap parking spot, but it wasn't within easy walking distance to the museum, so they had to walk a few blocks. But Leonard and Penny didn't mind. The weather was beautiful and the museum only opened at 10.30 a.m., so they had enough time to get there.

Luckily the line at entrance wasn't too long on this day and they could enter after only 10 minutes of waiting. Penny was overwhelmed by the all the artwork that were exhibited inside the museum. Leonard was equally impressed, seeing some well known masterpieces of art for real he only knew from school books, magazines or lexicons. As a former art student Penny could tell Leonard a lot about some of the paintings and sculptures. They spent particularly long time viewing iconic works such as Georges Seurat's 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte', Pablo Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist', Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks', and Grant Wood's 'American Gothic', the latter being one of the most familiar images in 20th-century American art.

They had spent two hours in the museum, before their growling stomachs signalled them that it was time for lunch. They went to the museum café and had a nice meal well worth the money. While they ate Leonard received a text from Howard, saying that they wanted to meet them in the afternoon. Leonard suggested to meet at 4 o'clock at the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, to which Howard and Raj agreed.

At one p.m. Leonard and Penny continued their tour through the various exhibitions of the museum. Highlights during their second round were a self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh and other works from post-Impressionist painters like Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Standing before the painting 'The Philosopher' by Édouard Manet, a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, Penny told Leonard she had to do an analysis of this work in one of her art courses in college, which was graded with an A. She bacame a little sad when she thought about it, because she remembered it was her last good grade before her performance at school began to deteriorate in a way which eventually led to her dropping out of college. Leonard recognized her mood swing and was able to cheer her up pretty quickly. "Hey Penny. That's the past. In the present we stand here and look at this wonderful painting in real. That's better than mere theory in school books, don't you think?" Penny nodded and smiled at him. "And remember," Leonard continued. "You can go back to college."

"That's true," Penny replied. "Thanks, Leonard. You always find a way to cheer me up. You're the best." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Leonard blushed, which prompted Penny to chuckle. "Leonard, Sweetie, you don't have to blush when I give you a cheek kiss."

"Sorry," Leonard said sheepishly and looked to the floor. "I can't help it."

"No need to be sorry," Penny smiled. "That's cute."

Leonard looked at Penny and smiled. It wasn't his cute shy smile that she already knew so well. No, it was a special smile that was new to her. A smile that immediately captured her heart. In this very moment Penny truly took a shine to Leonard. There was really something going on between them. And suddenly a feeling she felt the night before, when they talked in her hotel room, came back with a vengeance. It were those butterflies in her stomach again. And it apparently were countless millions of them. She looked at him, staring in his wonderful brown eyes. Eyes in which she could lose herself. At the same time Leonard was mesmerized by Penny's gorgeous green eyes again that had this unique sparkle. They both didn't know how long they looked each other in the eyes, because they totally forgot time and everything around them. What brought them back into the reality of the present was a fierce sneeze by a middle-aged man next to them. They both blinked and cleared their throat. "Umm...," Penny stumbled with an embarrassed smile. "Let's go to the next room."

"Umm...yeah, okay," Leonard smiled in an equally embarrassed way. He stretched out an arm to indicate the direction. "Ladies first."

They continued to look at great paintings, sculptures and artifacts. In one room Penny was amazed by one of the Thorne Miniature Rooms from the 1930s. Its attention to detail was fantastic. Leonard took a particular liking to a more than two thousand year old Chinese tomb sculpture of a pixiu or chimera creature. "Looks like something from Pokémon," he chuckled.

"What is Pokémon?" Penny asked.

"Uh, Pokémon is short for the original Japanese title of Pocket Monsters. Pokémons are fictional creatures, which humans, known as Pokémon Trainers, catch and train to battle each other for sport," Leonard answered with obvious enthusiasm.

"That sounds really interesting," Penny replied smiling. Leonard was surprised by Penny's genuine interest. There wasn't the slightest tone of condescension or contempt. Somehow he had expected at least a puzzled or questioning look. Penny was so different than the popular girls he knew from his high school days. With each minute by her side he fell for her more and more.

A few minutes after three o'clock they finished their visit at the museum and stepped out in the bright light of a sunny late September day in Chicago.

* * *

Leonard and Penny decided to have a walk in Grant Park until Howard and Raj would meet them there at the Buckingham Fountain. Enjoying some of the gardens and flower displays in the park area time went by in a flash. Around four o'clock they walked towards the Buckingham Fountain, which was located in the center of Grant Park. Howard and Raj already waited for them at the fountain.

"Ah, our two love birdies are here," Howard smirked. Raj just smiled and waved at Leonard and Penny.

Leonard and Penny both shook their heads at Howard's remark. "Hi Howard, Hi Raj. Feeling better?" Leonard asked.

"Yes," Howard answered. "We're game for anything again."

"Any suggestions, what we could do now?" Leonard wanted to know.

"First, I want all salacious details about your night of love." Howard demanded, to which Raj nodded in agreement.

"Gosh! How often do I have to say it? Nothing happened. We just talked." Leonard grumbled. "Right Penny?"

"Right," Penny replied. "And now shut up, Howard." She paused for a moment. "I have an idea what we could do now. We could make a boat tour," Penny suggested. "I saw a sign of a boat tour provider at the site where our car is parked."

"Great idea," Leonard said.

"Yeah, sounds cool," Howard agreed.

Leonard, Penny, Howard and Raj walked to the parking lot and right next to it was a dock of a boat tour provider. They were in luck and still could get four tickets for a lake and river tour, that would last 90 minutes. Ten minutes later they sat on the upper deck and the tour started. First the boat cruised along the Chicago River where they passed such internationally-known architecture like the neo-Gothic structure of the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building with its distinctive clock tower and the two corncob-shaped buildings of Marina City. Penny took loads of pictures again, just like Leonard. Even Howard and Raj were impressed by the stunning architecture on the left and the right of the river, so that for the time being Leonard and Penny were safe from Howard's sexual innuendos. Probably Raj would have joined him in those innuendos, if he would have had alcohol at hand.

The last part of the tour brought them to the calm and cool waters of Lake Michigan, where they had expansive views of Chicago's great skyline. Penny couldn't resist to make a selfie with her and the Chicago skyline in the background. She also made selfies with Leonard and Raj, but turned down Howard after he made one suggestive comment too much.

The boat tour ended around half past six and all four of them had greatly enjoyed it. In a cheerful atmosphere they returned to their car and drove back to the hotel.

* * *

After refreshing themselves and changing clothes they had dinner at the hotel café. The rest of the day before they went to sleep was spent in the guy's hotel room. At first they discussed the plans for the next day. They wanted to get up at 8 a.m., have breakfast and then start the drive to the next stop of their road trip, which was Cleveland, Ohio. Their goal was to arrive in Cleveland around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, with a break and a change of driver at the service plaza in Fremont, Indiana. For the rest of the evening they watched TV, with Howard and Raj sitting on one bed and Leonard and Penny sitting on the other. To be able to talk to Penny, Raj drank beer again. But this time one beer was enough. The experience of a terrible hangover was a lesson to him.

Around ten o'clock Penny called it a night. Leonard, Howard and Raj said good night to her and she left the room. Penny was out of the room for just a few seconds, when Leonard noticed that Penny had forgotten her phone on the table next to the door. He jumped up from the bed, grabbed the phone and hurried out of the room. Howard and Raj looked at each other with a knowing smile. "It's time for the dance with no pants again," Howard grinned.

Penny was still on the open corridor in the act of pulling the keycard out of her purse to open her door, when she heard Leonard. "Penny," he exclaimed, holding up the portable device. "You forgot your phone."

She turned to him. "Oh, thanks, sweetie."

"You're welcome," Leonard replied with a soft smile. They continued to have a little small talk on the corridor. "Okay, the guys are waiting for me," he said five minutes later. "And they surely have their mind in the gutter again." Leonard just wanted to say good night, but then he gathered all his courage and gave Penny a quick kiss on the cheek.

Penny was surprised and smiled joyously. "What was that for?"

"Just a thank you for this great day and that I had the honor to spend this great day with you," Leonard said with that special smile on his face.

Penny blushed deeply and felt those butterflies again. "You are the sweetest guy ever."

"Nah!" Leonard objected. "I'm just an ordinary guy who's favored by fortune to find such a wonderful friend like you."

"Oh my god, Leonard." Penny was really touched. "You are doing it again. Please stop being so damn sweet."

"OK, I'll try," Leonard chuckled.

"No, don't try. I changed my mind. Please stay sweet."

"Your wish is my command. Good night Penny."

"Good night Leonard." She watched Leonard returning to the guy's room and with a beatific smile on her face Penny entered her hotel room. She couldn't stop smiling. Penny was still smiling, when she went to bed an hour later until she finally fell asleep, the whole time incessantly thinking about the butterflies in her stomach and about Leonard and what a great guy he was.

* * *

When Leonard returned to the guy's room he was greeted as expected. "Oh, just a quickie this time?" Howard mocked him.

Leonard ignored him and they continued to watch TV. Two hours later the three men lay in bed, Howard and Raj already fallen asleep and Leonard preoccupied with thoughts of Penny, like the two nights before.

* * *

The next day everything went according to plan. They had breakfast, checked out and started their drive to Cleveland. As usual Leonard was the first to drive. With Penny sitting next to him the drive to their halt in between Fremont, Indiana went off smoothly. During the second part of the route from Fremont to Cleveland Howard took over the wheel. Raj sat in the passenger seat while Leonard and Penny sat on the back seat. Driving on the Interstate 90 they arrived Cleveland shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon, just as planned. They found a nice hotel in downtown Cleveland and had checked in by five. Again Leonard, Howard and Raj shared one room, while Penny had a room for herself.

They all met in the guy's room to discuss what to do on their first day in Cleveland. After a few minutes of discussion they agreed to split in two groups, because Howard and Raj wanted to eat something, while Leonard and Penny wanted to stroll around downtown first.

* * *

After sauntering for two hours Leonard and Penny became hungry, so Leonard decided to treat Penny to a nice dinner in a cozy restaurant in East 4th Street, a major downtown neighborhood in Cleveland, known for its food, entertainment, and lack of car traffic.

While they were waiting for their entrée, the olives in the salad that was served as hors d'oeuvre gave Leonard an idea. "Hey, do you want to see something cool?"

Penny nodded. "Sure!"

With a spoon Leonard took an olive from the hors d'oeuvre and placed it on the table. "I can make this olive go into this glass without touching it."

"How?" Penny asked.

"Physics." Leonard said with a confident smile and placed a glass over the olive. He started to spin it until the olive got caught up on the side of the glass.

Penny was amzed. "Wow! Centrifugal force!"

Leonard corrected her. "Actually, it's centripetal force, which is an inward force generated by the glass acting on the olive." Suddenly the olive dropped from the glass and fell to the floor. "Excuse me." Leonard crawled under the table and looked for the olive, while he continued to speak. "Now, if you were riding on the olive, you'd be in a non-inertial reference frame, and would..." Leonard didn't finish his explanation, because he banged his head on the underside of the table.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Leonard answered, coming up from under the table again, rubbing his head. "I probably get a bump and a headache, but it's nothing serious."

"Let me see." Penny leant over to Leonard and blew on the spot on Leonard's head he was rubbing. "This will disperse the pain."

Smiling at each other Leonard repeated his demonstration of the centripetal force since he had actually found the olive. This time everything worked. A short time later the entrée arrived. Leonard and Penny enjoyed their meal and it became a really nice evening with a lot of talking and a lot of laughing. For dessert Penny had a delicious chocolate mousse, while Leonard had a fruit salad. He envied Penny for her mousse, but because of his lactose intolerance he couldn't eat it. When it came to paying for their meals, Penny wanted to pay for herself, but Leonard reminded her that he had treated her to this dinner and insisted to pay for both of them.

On their way back to the hotel they mostly walked in content silence, enjoying the bubbly night life in the streets in this part of downtown Cleveland. Leonard and Penny arrived at their hotel around half past ten. Standing in front of the door of Penny's hotel room both felt a reluctance of parting ways for the night.

Penny tilted her head slightly to the side. "Thank you for this wonderful dinner. I had a really great time."

Leonard smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks to the most charming company you can imagine, I had a great time too."

Penny blushed once more after hearing Leonard's adorable compliment. "Leonard, you are really a wheedler. I'm so happy to be here with you on this trip. A few days ago I was stuck in a boring and miserable life in Nebraska, and now I'm standing here...in a hotel during a stop on a road trip to New York. If I had told anyone last week, that I would be on a road trip this week, I would have been considered crazy. That's for sure."

Leonard became thoughtful. "I'm happy too, that we are together here on this trip. And when you think about it...just because of a stone that was spun from the road by a truck and hit our windshield. I wonder if this was destiny."

Penny was reminded at the thoughts she had, the day she met Leonard and his friends. "It's funny you say this. I also wondered, if our encounter was destiny. But it doesn't matter whether it was destiny or not. We are standing here. You and I, in this very moment."

Leonard nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true."

Both smiled at each other. And then it happened again, just like in the museum in Chicago the day before. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, and again they totally forgot time and everything around them. But this time they were alone, no one was there who could pull them out of the mutual mesmerization they both experienced in this moment. Everything that occurred next played out as if it happened in some sort of trance.

Leonard reached out a hand and carefully cupped Penny's cheek, while his other hand held her waist. Then he slowly leaned forward and his lips gently met hers. The moment their lips touched was like if electricity would shot through their bodies. It was an incredible and blissful feeling. Something neither Leonard nor Penny experienced before in this intensity. Penny reciprocated the kiss at once and wrapped her arms around Leonard's neck. The countless millions of butterflies in her stomach literally exploded, adding a feeling of indescribable joy. When their lips parted they stared into each other's eyes again, knowing that this was a special moment in both of their lives. After a few moments that seemed like hours, they pulled away with coy smiles on their faces.

Penny bit her lip and looked shyly at Leonard. "Umm...Thanks again for this wonderful evening, Leonard."

Leonard cleared his throat. "It was a pleasure for me."

"Good night, Leonard."

"Good night, Penny."

Smiling at Leonard, Penny opened the door of her hotel room and went inside.

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks again for reading and reviewing. Here's chapter 4. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 4

Penny and Leonard lay in their beds unable to sleep, thinking about what happened about an hour before. The butterflies in Penny's stomach were still in turmoil. This kiss was magical. A gentle and tender kiss. Not ecstatic, yet powerful. At the same time Leonard was in some kind of trance-like state. He couldn't believe he kissed this beautiful girl and she reciprocated it. It was like a dream come true. The feelings they already had for each other after such a short time really became stronger and stronger. There was no point in denying this, but neither of them wanted to deny this anyway.

It was long after midnight, when Penny finally fell asleep. Leonard had fallen asleep a bit earlier, but was awoken by Howard and Raj, who noisily came into the hotel room. As things turned out, Howard and Raj made a bar hop trying to pick up girls, but to no avail. Fortunately they were not drunk, just a little bit tipsy, so Leonard soon fell asleep again.

* * *

It was Friday, the fourth day of their trip with Penny as companion. Before noon they all visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, then they had lunch at a fast food restaurant in downtown. In the afternoon Leonard and Penny went to the Cleveland Museum of Art, while Howard and Raj strolled around downtown, as they were not interested in visiting an art museum. At six o'clock they all met again at Wade Park, ate something and drove back to the hotel.

Back in the hotel, they all discussed their further travel plan in the guy's room. On Saturday they wanted to drive to a small village at Seneca Lake, one of the so-called Finger Lakes in the central region of New York state, where they had rented a cabin for the weekend. And on the following Monday the last stage should lead them to New York City.

Apart from their visit at the Cleveland Museum of Art Leonard and Penny couldn't spend time together on this day. Howard and Raj were always present, and neither Leonard nor Penny couldn't find an excuse to separate from them. The evening faded out with all four of them watching TV. At least Leonard and Penny could sit together, which allowed them to exchange some tender looks from time to time. So, on the day after their kiss in the hotel corridor there wasn't time to further explore their feelings for one another.

* * *

On Saturday it wasn't better in regards to the exploration of their feelings. Again Howard and Raj somehow managed to prevent any time alone for Leonard and Penny. They knew they were on a trip in a group of four, but not being able to spent time alone became frustrating for Leonard and Penny. After checking out from the hotel in Cleveland, they drove in two stages to Seneca Lake. On the first stage from Cleveland to Salamanca, New York, Penny drove their rental car, while the second stage from Salamanca to the village at Seneca Lake was taken over by Leonard. Howard and Raj sat on the back seat the whole time, either occupied with games on their phones or sleeping.

* * *

Late at Saturday afternoon they arrived their destination at Seneca Lake. They checked in at the manager's office, received the keys and drove the short distance to their cabin. It was beautifully located, in close vicinity to the lake. After parking their car, they unloaded their luggage and put it down in the living room and inspected their home for the weekend. In addition to the cozy living room with fireplace the cabin had a separate kitchen and most importantly two bedrooms, each equipped with one double bed and an attached bathroom. But with three guys and one girl and only two beds there was a problem. Howard brought it up first, in his own manner of course. "Okay, first we have to take care of the sleeping arrangements. Who shares the bed with Penny?" He looked at Leonard and Penny. "I know you two have already spent a night together." Then Howard looked directly at Penny. "But maybe you want to try something new."

"Hey, I'm here too," Raj interposed, after taking a swig of beer from a bottle he just opened.

Penny rolled with her eyes. "I will share a room with Leonard. There's a couch in each bedroom. One can sleep in the bed, and the other on the coach. It looks quite comfortable."

"Of course I'm gonna sleep on the couch," Leonard insisted.

"Sweetie, you don't have to. It would be no problem for me to sleep on the couch," Penny said.

"No, no. You bed, me couch," Leonard ordered.

Penny had to smile at Leonard's mock commanding tone. "Ok, if you insist."

"I do."

Howard had to smirk at Leonard and Penny's little exchange of words. "OK, this question is settled to the satisfaction of both parties. Now onwards to the next question. What are we doing tonight?" he wanted to know. "I saw a poster advertising a dance in the village. We could mix with the locals and have a little fun."

Penny clapped her hands. "That sounds cool. I would like to dance."

Leonard was a bit reserved. "I don't know. I can't dance."

Penny tried to encourage him. "You don't have to perform at 'Dancing with the Stars'," she smiled. "I show you some moves. Come on. It'll be fun."

Howard raised his hand and looked at Penny. "Hey, when Leonard doesn't want to go, maybe you'd like to come with me."

"Or with me," Raj interjected, taking another swig of beer.

Howard turned to Raj. "I asked her first. Keep out of this, brother."

Leonard didn't like the direction this conversation was heading to. "We can certainly find something else we can do here. Maybe we could..."

Howard interrupted him. "Please, Leonard, not now. Penny wants to dance." He shook his hips and made some awkward dancing moves towards Penny. "She and I have just begun our little tango."

Penny was aghast and scrunched up her nose. "Our tango?"

Howard raised one of his eyebrows. "You know. The carnal repartee, the erotic to and fro. But as delicious as the appetizer might be, at some point we will have to succumb and eat the entreé while it's still hot."

Penny was beginning to lose her composure. "Okay Howard, look. Normally I would just ignore you. I mean, I get it. You're a little peculiar. I know you think you're some sort of smooth-talking ladies' man. But the truth is, you are just creepy.

Howard didn't get the message. "Umm okay, so what are you saying?"

Penny was flabbergasted. "I am saying no, I won't go with you to that dance. And by the way, it's not sexy to stare at my ass and say, "Ooh, it must be jelly 'cause jam don't shake like that." like you did during the boat tour in Chicago. And most important, we are not dancing a tango, we're not to'ing and fro'ing. Nothing is ever going to happen between us. Ever. Do you understand?"

Howard still ignored Penny's rebuff. "I like your flirting style."

Penny was now getting angry at Howard's ignorant obtrusiveness. "Flirting? Are you kidding me? You think I'm flirting with you? I am not flirting with you."

"Are you sure?" Howard asked. "Because I feel the fire of passion between us."

"Ugh!" Penny took her luggage and brought it into one of the bedrooms.

"Well, it was worth a try." Howard shrugged. Then he turned to Leonard. "How did you get her to sleep with you?"

Leonard just shook his head, took his luggage and followed Penny into their room.

"I'm sorry." Leonard apologized for Howard's inappropriate behaviour. "Howard can be a really strange guy, but deep down inside, he's a really nice guy."

"Well, that may be true, but all I can see is his creepy candy coating," Penny huffed.

"OK, forget him," Leonard appeased her. "Do you still want to go to that dance?"

"Yeah, I really think it could be fun."

"All right! I'm not sure I will enjoy it, but okay. Let's go dancing."

* * *

They all agreed to go to the dance. It took place in a gym in the nearby village, just a walk of fifteen minutes from their cabin. Admission was free. The attendees were mostly young people in their twenties and thirties, dancing to eighties and nineties music. They found an empty table and Penny treated all to a drink.

As the evening progressed, the time came when Penny asked Leonard for a dance, after she had already danced to some fast songs with Raj. Leonard was still very reluctant, saying he would rather sit at the table and watch the people dancing instead of doing it himself. But Penny wasn't willing to accept his excuses and dragged him to the dance floor. As promised she showed him some dance basics. Leonard learned surprisingly fast and absolutely didn't make a fool of himself on the dance floor. They both danced to a few fast songs and had a lot of fun. Then a slow song came up, which made Leonard unsure again. But Penny didn't let him off the hook. She pulled him tightly against him, with Leonard showing no signs of restistance as he savored this closeness. With Penny's head leaning on Leonard's shoulder they moved to the music intuitively, both having a content smile on their faces. The next song was another slow one. Leonard and Penny now were practically in a tight embrace. When the song ended they both looked into each other's eyes, smiling and reluctant to separate. They were about to kiss, when suddenly Leonard felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Howard who told them he and Raj were invited by two girls to drive around the village and they shouldn't wait for them, when they wanted to go back to the cabin.

In the course of the evening Penny was asked for a dance and hit on by quite a few guys, which she all turned down, clarifying she was with Leonard. For the rest of their stay they sat on their table talking and laughing, drinking some cocktails and soft drinks. It turned out to be a really nice evening for both of them and Leonard was glad he had agreed to go to this dance.

* * *

It was around midnight when Leonard and Penny returned to the cabin, a little bit tipsy, but not drunk. In a cheerful mood they entered their bedroom and got ready for bed. Leonard used the bathroom first, since he wouldn't need as much time as Penny. When Penny had finished her night routine and came out of the bathroom, Leonard already lay on the couch, a blanket loosely lying over him. He was so tired, he could hardly keep his eyes open. Penny hopped on the bed and crawled beneath the blanket. "Good night, Leonard."

"Good night, Penny," he replied drowsily.

She was about to switch off the light, but then she leapt out of bed again and went to Leonard. "I forgot something," she uttered more to herself in a quiet voice.

Leonard who was at the point of drifting off to sleep didn't notice her drawing closer to him, when he suddenly felt something soft and smooth on his lips. Within seconds he realized it was Penny kissing him. As soon as Leonard responded, she slowly slid her tongue into his mouth, where it touched his. Again electricity shot through their bodies, creating a warm and blissful feeling for both of them. It wasn't a gentle and tender kiss this time, it was a hot and passionate kiss. Penny held his face with both of her hands, while Leonard wrapped his hands around her waist, then sliding up on the side of her upper body till her scapulas and back to her waist again. They only broke the kiss, when the need to gasp for air became inevitable. The mixture of this need and excitement was so big, that Penny involuntarily let out a quite sensual moan, when their lips parted.

Penny smiled her most adorable smile at Leonard. "Phew! Good! Got that out of the way. You can't imagine how hard it was to keep my lips away from yours for the last two days. We barely couldn't spend time alone since our kiss in Cleveland. Now we can go to sleep." She went back to her bed and crawled beneath the blanket again.

"Wow, that came unexpected," Leonard said after finding his composure again.

"Yeah, I know. I hope it wasn't too much," Penny responded shyly.

"No, no." _It was just the best kiss I ever received in my life._ Leonard was astounded, how Penny handled this, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Well, umm...You can't deny, there was some sort of tension building up between us," Penny reasoned.

"Yeah, kind of," Leonard agreed.

Penny chuckled. "See it as a way to relieve this tension."

"Umm...Okay...Good night, Penny."

"Good night, Sweetie."

With a smile on his face Leonard finally drifted off to a restful sleep, while Penny still processed this amazing kiss. After the butterflies in her stomach had calmed down, it didn't take long and she drifted off to a restful sleep as well.

* * *

When Penny woke up the next morning, Leonard had already left the room. She went to the living room, where she found Leonard standing in front of the coffee table indicating to her with a gesture to stay quiet. Howard and Raj were lying on the sofas, obviously suffering from a hangover again. Leonard and Penny couldn't resist to take photos of the two men, who looked like they had a rough night past them.

"This means more alone time for us," Penny whispered.

"Yeah, looks like these two are not able to do anything anytime soon," Leonard grinned.

They left a note for Howard and Raj, and after a light brunch, Leonard and Penny headed out to a vineyard, where a wine tasting took place. Penny read about it in the internet, when she looked for some information about the village and its surroundings. They arrived at the vineyard early in the afternoon, on time for the wine tasting.

After the wine tasting Leonard and Penny walked back from the vineyards to the cabin, which took almost an hour. The good weather they had since the day Penny joined the trip also held on this Sunday afternoon, so they could enjoy their walk in the warm sun of the last day in September.

"This is the kind of day I love," Penny said. "Pleasantly warm with a light breeze."

Leonard nodded. "Same here."

On their way back to the cabin they had some really nice views of the lake and the landscape.

"This place is beautiful," Penny raved. "Too bad we have to leave tomorrow. But then again, I can't wait to see New York. It will be amazing. And I will be there with you."

Smiling at each other Penny linked arms with Leonard and together they strolled along the country lanes towards the cabin.

* * *

They arrived at the cabin late in the afternoon. The long shadows already indicated it wasn't long till dusk would set in. Leonard went into the cabin to refresh himself, while Penny stayed outside. Howard and Raj sat in the living room and were engaged with 'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a'. When Leonard returned he saw Penny sitting on the lawn that leaned towards the lake, apparently lost in thought. The surface of the lake glistened in the evening sun, the whole landscape was bathed in an infatuating golden light. The clouds in the sky were illuminated by the setting sun and looked like they were burning. They glowed in amazing shades of red, orange and purple. It was wonderful.

Leonard walked to Penny and sat down beside her on the lawn. "A Penny for your thoughts," he chuckled.

Penny looked up to Leonard and smiled. "I'm thinking about my life and how lucky I am to be here with you on the shore of this beautiful lake. I don't deserve to be here."

Leonard was puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

"I've done many bad things in my past," Penny replied in a sad voice.

"You did bad things?"

"Yes, Leonard. I did some really bad things, especially during my years in high school. I'm deeply ashamed when I look back at it. Like the cruel thing we did to this poor girl Kathy Geiger, just because she got good grades."

"What did you do?" Leonard asked.

"We blindfolded her, tied her up and left her in a cornfield overnight...with an ear of corn in her mouth," Penny answered.

"Wow! That's really a bad thing."

Penny looked down on the grass. "Then there was this boy, I had a date with, when I was sixteen." Penny's tone of voice became melancholy. "I liked him. He was very shy, but also sweet, kind and caring. Like you Leonard. When I told my friends about him, they absolutely ridiculed him. And I did nothing to defend him, to stand up for him. They didn't stop, until I dumped him in front of all my friends. Not because I didn't like him anymore, just because I didn't want to lose my position as the so-called popular girl in high school and because of what my friends could think of me. It must have been so humiliating for him. I couldn't look him in the eyes afterwards and avoided him, although I still liked him. I felt so terrible."

Penny sighed and looked out to the lake. "When you are the popular girl, people seem to have an expectation who you should date. My friends certainly had this expectation and they even pushed me somehow towards this certain type of guy. So I ended up with Kurt. I was still in high school, when we started to date. In the beginning I still thought I was attracted to him because of love and affection, and something could be different, but now I know it was never love and affection. Never! The reason I ended up with Kurt was a combination of this expectations many, especially my friends, had of me...You know the popular girl, the cute cheerleader, with a tall, buff boyfriend mixed with a teenage infatuation of said guys, I admittedly had at this time, but not exclusively. I succumbed to expectations and infatuation. My relationship with Kurt were really four wasted years."

After pausing for a few moments, Penny continued. "You know, I always wanted to be a normal girl. I didn't ask to be the popular girl. It just so happened, that I became this girl. Sure it was nice at times, and I would lie if I hadn't enjoyed the attention it brought with it, but it was also a lot of pressure. You were put in drawers. People somehow expected a certain behaviour from you. You had to fulfill a cliché. Like I said it was a lot of fun, but it was also constricting at the same time. I'm glad these times are over."

Leonard smiled sympathetically. "The past is the past. Now you can look forward to the present and the future. And those bad things? Well, sure it was malicious what you did with this girl and how you treated this boy wasn't something to be proud of either. But you regret it. I truly believe you would never do those things again. You are a different person now."

Penny nodded. "You're right! The past is the past, and what has happened has happened. We can't change it. But we can learn from the past. From the mistakes we made, so we can do it better in the present and in the future. Now tell me about your time in high school."

"Well, there's not much to tell. Other than the chess club, and a few friends with whom I could share a few of my hobbies, it was a quite lonely time. Most of the time I was all by myself," Leonard said.

"That's so sad. What about girls?" Penny asked.

"Girls? I had female classmates, that's it," Leonard answered.

"Really? Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks for saying that. That's nice."

"I mean it. C'mon, look at you. You're a great guy. You're kind, sweet, caring. And let me say this as a girl. You're a really handsome fella."

"I'm a short, asthmatic fella."

"Don't say that. Don't hide your light under a bushel! I say it again. Any girl would be lucky to have you," Penny insisted.

Leonard sighed. "Well, but certainly not a girl like you."

Penny was taken aback. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? A girl like me. I kissed you, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you." Leonard apologized. "I still can't believe that someone like you...Sorry I have to find another wording...What I'm trying to say is, that back then in high school, the cool kids always ridiculed me. And among those kids were always the popular girls. I guess, this time has left some scars and some preconceived notions. But you showed me, you can't tar all so-called popular girls with the same brush."

"Damn right, mister," Penny said in a harsher tone than intended. She immediately regretted it.

"Penny, please. Don't be mad at me."

Smiling, Penny reached out and took Leonard's hand. "Sorry, sweetie. Of course I'm not mad at you. Look, I told you just a few minutes ago, it wasn't always easy for me to be 'a girl like me'. All those expectations and clichés I was willing to fulfill distorted my real personality. Back then in high school I was too self-centered and immature to recognize that and to stop this behaviour. But now I'm a different person, like you said. Again, I admit I was attracted to those tall, buff guys. But I also told you there was this other guy. So, in reality, I don't have a type. There are other things that are more important to me, when it comes to a relationship. Now I have fully realized that. Tall, buff...this all means nothing. You can be a hunk, good looking on the outside, but ugly and repellent inside. The inner values have to be right. Beauty is only skin deep. This goes for men and women."

Leonard nodded and smiled at her. For the next few minutes, they sat next to each other in content silence watching the sun go down. And all the while Penny held Leonard's hand.

Leonard ended the silence. "I think it's time to have dinner. How does that grab you?"

"Good idea!" Penny answered. "I'm hungry."

They got up and walked back to the cabin. Howard and Raj were still playing 'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a', when Leonard and Penny entered the living room. During the delicious dinner, that Raj prepared, Leonard and Penny had to endure a vast number of innuendos regarding their shared bedroom, but they mostly ignored it. After dinner they gathered in the living room and played board games in front of the brightly lit fireplace. Around 11 o'clock Penny called it a night and went to the bedroom. Half an hour later Howard and Raj went to their bedroom, leaving Leonard alone in the living room by the fireside. Sitting in an armchair, he looked into the flickering fire, wrapped in thoughts about Penny. He didn't noticed when Penny came out of the bedroom and touched Leonard's shoulder. He turned around and looked up at Penny. In the warm light of the fire place she was more beautiful than ever before.

"Oh, Penny! Still up?"

"I couldn't sleep. Leonard, I need you by my side."

She took Leonard's hand and looked deeply into his eyes. At first he didn't understand, but then he got up from the chair and together they went into their bedroom.

 **To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Again, a big thank you to all those who read and reviewed. Here's chapter 5 of this story. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 5

Penny led the way into their room in the cabin, taking Leonard by the hand. As soon as they were in the room she let go of his hand and closed the door. Penny passed by Leonard and climbed into bed. He wasn't sure what to do. Penny gave him a smile. "Don't stand there like glued to the spot. Come in. I won't bite you."

Smiling shyly back at her, he took off his shoes and tossed them in a corner of the room. Then he doffed his pants and hoodie and put it down on the couch, which was actually supposed to be his sleeping place. All this was amusedly observed by Penny. She drew the blanket aside and patted the empty spot next to her with her hand. Still unsure and a bit tense he slowly walked towards the bed. When he arrived at the edge of the bed he stood still.

"You almost did it, sweetie," Penny encouraged him. "One more step."

Leonard took a deep breath and got in bed. Smiling at each other they sat in bed next to each other. Penny put her hands around his neck and draw him closer to her. Their faces slowly came closer till their lips touched. They tenderly started to kiss. There was an unspoken mutual agreement to not go further than this. Since their frienship was only just a few days old, either of them took the view that sleeping with each other would have been too soon at this point. But kissing and cuddling on the other hand was something that both weren't able to resist, neither in this early stage of their friendship. One could say there where already beyond the point of being just friends.

A loud noise coming from the living room unceremoniously tore them out of their activity. "Dammit," Penny huffed. They both got out of bed to look what was going on. The sight which awaited them was hilarous. Howard and Raj were entangled like a ball of wool and rolled over the floor insulting each other. They obviously had a fight, but it looked like a cat fight. Leonard and Penny started to laugh hysterically, which prompted the two squabblers to stop their quarrel at once. "What's going on here?" Leonard asked slightly out of breath, because of the laughing. Howard and Raj moved apart, with Raj quickly taking a swig of beer from a bottle that still stood on the coffee table.

Raj angrily looked at Howard. "This jerk has somehow managed to get the phone numbers of the girls who drove us around the village yesterday. And now he keeps them from me. One of these numbers is the number of the future Mrs. Koothrappali. I have a right to know it."

Howard scoffed. "I'm doing you a favor. You can't speak to women, without alcohol. How do you want to keep up a marriage?"

"You let me worry about that, dude," Raj shot back. "Now give me the numbers."

Howard folded his arms. "Forget it. As I said before, I call dibs on both ladies."

Leonard and Penny looked at each other with a confused look on their faces. Shaking their heads they went back to their room. Penny closed the door and linked her arms behind Leonard's neck. "Where did we leave off?" she asked with a bright smile.

"I think we were about to have a little fun with kissing and cuddling." Leonard said cheerfully, trying to tickle her. Giggling, Penny hopped back into bed. Leonard followed immediately and they started to kiss again.

Suddenly the door was torn open and Howard stormed in, which caused a startled Penny to let out a heartbreaking squeal.

Her squeal let Howard wince. "Oops! Sorry! Am I interrupting?" he asked, knowing of course he did something that was not okay.

"Howard, what the hell!?" Leonard yelled.

Penny was furious. "You can't come in here without knocking."

Howard tried to sound apologetically. "I'm really sorry, where are my manners?"

"What do you want?" Leonard asked irritated. Anger clearly visible on his face.

"Umm, yeah...Leonard, we need you to act as intermediary," Howard replied.

"Are you kidding me? I don't want to be involved in your Kindergarten squabbling."

"I told you," Howard shouted through the open door, obviously directed at Raj. "By the way, what are you two doing here? Can I participate? Maybe I can win you two over to a nice threesome?"

"Get out!" Penny screamed.

Howard winced again and raised his hands in an appeasing manner. "Wow! Relax." He turned on his heel and left the room, closing the door.

"Boy, this was a real mood killer," Leonard said contritely. "I think we call it a night. We have to get up quite early tomorrow. New York is waiting."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Penny sighingly agreed, disappointment clearly written in the face.

"We still have some nights ahead of us," Leonard winked and leapt out of the bed to go to the bathroom. When he returned after a few minutes, Penny had already fallen asleep. He sighed and went to sleep on the couch, since he wasn't sure if it was okay to climb in bed with her without invitation so to say.

* * *

Leonard and Penny were raised out of their sleep by the alarm of Leonard's phone at 7 o'clock in the morning. It was Monday, October the first. The last week of their road trip had begun. Penny slowly openend her eyes and saw the place next to her was empty. Looking at the couch, she saw Leonard getting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good morning, Penny."

"Good morning, Leonard. Why did you sleep on the couch?"

"Umm...I wasn't sure, if it would have been okay to climb in bed with you, without your invitation."

Penny chuckled. "Oh, sweetie. Of course it would have been okay."

Leonard blushed. "Oh, I see. Umm, okay. Maybe tonight in New York."

Penny nodded and smiled at him. "Yeah, maybe tonight."

A few minutes later Leonard and Penny trudged into the kitchen, where Howard and Raj already prepared breakfast. Seeing Leonard and Penny's tired faces, Howard couldn't resist to greet them in his own special way. "Good morning! You two partied very hard, eh?"

Penny glared at him. "Shut up!"

"I'm sorry. I guess my intrusion was a mood killer for your love games." Howard apologized half-heartedly and with a sarcastic overtone.

"Shut up," Leonard huffed, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

After finishing breakfast they packed their things and checked out. At nine o'clock they were on their way to New York City. Howard drove the first stage from Seneca Lake to Scranton, Pennsylvania. There Raj took over the wheel. After their silly fight over telephone numbers Howard and Raj got along with each other again. As it turned out, the numbers the girls gave them were wrong anyway. Leonard and Penny sat on the back seat and slept most of the time.

* * *

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, they crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a double-decked suspension bridge that connected the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. A few days before they had found a reasonably priced hotel via the internet in the central part of Brooklyn and had reserved two rooms online. They arrived at the hotel at half past three. After checking in the three men and Penny moved into their rooms. Like in Chicago and Cleveland, Penny had her own room.

Once they all had settled down and refreshed themselves, they headed out to explore the surroundings of their hotel. There was a nice park just across the street from the hotel. In the surrounding streets they found an array of restaurants, coffee shops, diners and small, cozy stores, that sold literally everything from used books, over exotic spices to Voodoo requisites. There was also a comic book store, which immediately caught the attention of Leonard, Howard and Raj. And if Penny wouldn't have urged them to move along, they would have spent the rest of the day there. In terms of alone time for Leonard and Penny it was just like on the second day in Cleveland and the day they drove to Seneca Lake. There wasn't any. And in the evening of their first day in New York Howard and Raj made sure that Leonard and Penny were watching TV with them, like on the following four evenings.

* * *

On Tuesday, their second day, they all went together to see the Statue of Liberty and made a boat tour on the Upper New York Bay and the East River, where they marveled at the amazing skyline of Manhattan. Like in Chicago Penny took loads of pictures, including a lot of selfies with Leonard. Howard and Raj squandered their opportunity to be in a selfie, when they once again made an inappropriate comment about her and Leonard. The last tour of the day brought them to Manhattan's famous Chinatown, a lively neighborhood, full of good values in restaurants and food shopping. They had a delicious dinner in a properly styled chinese restaurant, before they returned to their hotel in Brooklyn. On their way to their rooms Penny insisted on giving Leonard a quick peck on his lips in an unobserved moment, much to his delight. The day faded out with watching TV in the guy's hotel room.

* * *

On the third day in New York, a Wednesday, they visited another icon of New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridges in the United States. They crossed the bridge via the pedestrian walkway, almost causing an accident, when Howard tripped and nearly was hit by a cyclist. After having lunch at a small restaurant they strolled along the famous stretch of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan near Times Square, where the street crossed Seventh Avenue. Penny would have loved to see a musical or a stage play in one of the many theatres, but due to limitations of her budget it wasn't possible. The afternoon was spent in Central Park. Standing on a rock on the northeastern shore of the pond called 'The Lake', savoring the spectacular sight of the buildings on Central Park West, a section of Eighth Avenue, Penny felt a sudden fit of melancholia, when she realized this trip would be over by the end of the week. Leonard tore her out of this thoughs, when he touched her shoulder indicating they wanted to move along. After having a meal in a fastfood restaurant near Times Square, they headed back to their Brooklyn hotel, where they ended the day with the same activities as on the two days before.

* * *

On Thursday, a visit of the world-renowned Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States and one of the largest in the world was one of the main points of their agenda. In the afternoon they visited the New York Botanical Garden, which was located north of the Bronx Zoo. The garden's verdant landscape supporting over one million living plants in extensive collections invited them to stroll around. Howard and Raj made some attempts to flirt with girls, but as soon as Howard said something the girls went on the run. And Raj being not able to speak to women without alcohol wasn't helpful either. Leonard and Penny watched this amusedly. A dinner in a small restaurant and another TV session in the guy's room ended day four of their stay in New York City.

* * *

Friday started with a breakfast in their hotel, like on the days before. Since breakfast was included in the price, Howard and Raj loaded tons of food on their plates. It was a wonder they didn't burst. They especially fell for the chocolate filled pastries. At one point Raj had to choke, because he ate too fast. People turned their heads around, causing Leonard and Penny to blush from embarrassment. But the peak of embarrassment was only reached, when Raj began to throw black grapes at Howard, which he tried to catch with his mouth. Some of the grapes landed on the floor, and one on an adjacent table. Luckily it wasn't occupied. Leonard and Penny were glad, when their breakfast was finished. At eleven o'clock they headed out to visit the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, known for the New York State Pavilion and the Unisphere. Afterwards they drove to Forest Hills Gardens, a part of the Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills, with its nice detached single-family homes. After having a late afternoon meal and a walk in Queens' Forest Park, they ended the day with a walk on the beach of the Rockaway Peninsula, the southernmost part of Queens.

Back in the hotel, Howard could persuade Penny to participate in a round of 'Mystic Warlords of Ka'a' after their every evening activity of watching TV.

Leonard could see, that Penny was already bored after a few minutes. "Do you want to play something else?"

"Umm...no, no, it's okay. But I have a question."

"Warlord beats troll, troll beats elf, elf beats water sprite, and basically everything beats enchanted bunny," Leonard explained.

"Unless you have the carrot power," Howard added.

"Okay, I've got another question. You guys can really play this for hours?"

"Sure, there are even tournaments," Leonard answered matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Penny asked with an astonished expression on her face.

"Yep!" Raj said, taking a sip of beer.

Penny yawned. "Okay guys, whatever! I'm really sorry, but I have to quit. I'm tired." Penny got up from the bed she was sitting on, said 'good night' and left the room.

"Well, that's obviously not her game," Leonard shrugged.

"Speaking of games. Our trip is almost over. Do you think you can interest her in another round of the good old mating game?" Howard asked unambiguously.

"Mating game?" Leonard replied with a puzzled face.

"You know..."

"Yes, Howard. I know."

"Well?"

"I'm not talking about my sex life with you."

"Too bad."

Leonard shook his head and they continued to play. It was around midnight, when the day for the three men was over too.

* * *

Much to Leonard and Penny's delight, they managed to separate from Howard and Raj on Saturday. When Penny suggested to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Howard and Raj showed no interest. Of course Leonard agreed to join Penny at once, not just because it was another chance to spend time alone with her, but also because he was genuinely interested in visiting the museum, after the great experiences in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cleveland Museum of Art. As early as possible Leonard and Penny headed out to avoid a long wait in the lines at the entrance of the museum's main building at Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Much to their surprise they could enter the largest art museum in the United States, and one of the most visited art museums in the world, after only ten minutes of waiting. They almost spent the whole day inside the museum. The number of art objects was amazing. There were works of art from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. In addition to it you could see African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art plus collections of musical instruments, costumes and accessories, and antique weapons and armor from around the world.

Leonard and Penny were particularly impressed by the Robert Lehman Collection with its great number of paintings of the Italian Renaissance, including masterpieces by Botticelli and Domenico Veneziano. The collection also featured works by a significant number of Spanish painters, like El Greco and Goya. Also very impressive was Lehman's collection of drawings by the Old Masters, featuring works by Rembrandt and Dürer.

Penny was fascinated by El Greco's late 16th century painting "View of Toledo". She looked at Leonard who stood next to her. "It's so great to see this painting in real. You know, we had an extensive discussion about this painting in one of my art courses in college. Do you see the distinct color contrast between the dark and somber skies above and the glowing green hills below?" she asked him. Leonard nodded and Penny continued to explain. "Although El Greco was influenced by the Mannerist style of the 16th century, his handling of color and form seems to anticipate the expressionist style that only arose at the beginning of the 20th century."

"Wow, you have a real great knowledge of all this masterpieces." Leonard was impressed. "You should become an art historian."

Penny smiled and they continued to walk through the halls and corridors of the museum.

* * *

When they left the museum late in the afternoon, Leonard had the idea to visit one of the observation decks of the Empire State Building, where they could relish an impressive view of the city. Penny agreed immediately with an enthusastic nod. A few minutes later they were sitting in a cab, that drove them the few miles down Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building. They bought a ticket and one of the elevators brought them to the observation deck on the 86th floor. They were both almost speechless, when they stepped out to the observation deck.

Penny was stunned. "Wow! What a sight!"

"Yeah, it's spectacular," Leonard agreed, equally stunned as Penny.

For a few minutes they stood next to each other in comfortable silence, looking south over the city below them. It was a clear day, and dusk was beginning to set in. The setting sun over the western horizon, painted the cloudless sky in breathtaking colors from deep blue over orange to glowing red. The buildings of the city were bathed in a golden light.

"I can't believe, I'm standing here. Just because of you, Leonard. I owe you so much." Tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm so happy to be here, with you, looking over the city and savoring the sight of the setting sun. But it's also our last evening together. By this time tomorrow, you'll be back in California, and I'm back in my miserable life in Nebraska." A single tear rolled down Penny's cheek.

Leonard wiped the tear away with his thumb and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He felt tears welling up in his eyes himself. The whole time they had suppressed the fact that their ways would part on Sunday. "Please don't cry, Penny. Or I have to cry too. We will stay in contact. We can call us, we can write emails, we can video chat over the internet. I can visit you and you can visit me."

"Yes, we can do that. Please promise me to stay in contact with me, please." Penny looked at Leonard with pleading eyes.

"Of course Penny, I promise." Leonard tried to cheer her up. "Come on, let's not think of that now. Let's have a nice evening. Just you and me. I treat you to a dinner. What do you say?"

Penny nodded with teary eyes, but already smiling again.

They stayed on the observation deck for a further fifteen minutes, leaning against each other, watching the sun go down and not speaking all too much, while the millions of lights of the city began to shine. Penny had rested her head on Leonard's shoulder, both holding on to each other with a hand around the other's waist.

* * *

When they left the Empire State Building and stood at Fifth Avenue, they hailed a cab who brought them back to their hotel in Brooklyn. Seeing that their rental car wasn't on the parking next to the hotel, they knew that Howard and Raj were still on the move. They went to their respective rooms to refresh and get new clothes. After meeting again in the hotel lobby they went to a nearby restaurant to have dinner. It was a wonderful evening with a delicious meal and lots of talking and laughing. Every time they shared a brief look or gazed at each other for a moment, they blushed and quickly looked away with a shy smile on their faces. It was amazing how Penny felt those butterflies in her stomach welling up each time he looked at her, while at the same time Leonard had an unbelievably strong feeling of affection when he met her gorgeous green eyes and she smiled at him. An affection Penny felt as well for quite some time now. The sadness which overcame both on the observation deck of the Empire State Building was forgotten for the time being. When they finished their meal, Leonard paid for it, as promised.

Linking her arm with Leonard's they walked back to their hotel, barely speaking a word, in a peaceful, but also melancholic atmosphere. The nice dinner had helped to forget what lay ahead of them. A painful goodbye. And it approached inevitably. Once they arrived in their hotel they walked up to their rooms, Penny's arm still liked with Leonard's.

Standing in front of Penny's door, she bit her lip and looked at Leonard. "It was a wonderful evening. Thank you, Leonard."

"I'm glad you liked it," he smiled.

Penny took the key out of her purse and opened her door. Looking back at Leonard, when she put her key back into her purse, their eyes met and they looked at each other like never before. Both of their eyes were full of desire.

There was this feeling of melancholy in the air, but there was also something else in the air that had built up during the evening. An intense sexual tension. They both felt it, but in this moment no one knew how to handle it. Neither of them wanted this night to end. It was Leonard who spoke again. "Umm...Penny..."

Penny didn't let Leonard finish his sentence. She had made a decision. "Don't say anything, Leonard. Let's have this night."

She took his hand and they both entered Penny's room.

* * *

As soon as Leonard and Penny were in her hotel room, they started to kiss. Soft and tender, with Penny's hands linked behind his neck and Leonard's arms wrapped around her waist. Leonard broke the kiss after a few seconds, because he had to make sure, they both wanted the same. He looked deeply into Penny's eyes, and what he saw in them was verily the same he felt in this moment. After eyes full of desire in the hotel corridor, it was undoubtedly arousal now that filled her eyes. Those mesmerizing, sparkling green eyes, which put a spell on him when his eyes met hers for the first time in that restaurant in Omaha. But now her eyes were almost black, because of her dilated pupils. A slow nod by Penny signalled him she wanted the same like him. It was like a plea at Leonard to continue. Within seconds after Penny's wordless sign his lips started to caress her neck below the ear, which immediately send blissful shivers through her body and generated a deep moan. At the same time this familiar feeling of those million flattering butterflies in her stomach set in again. Paired with those blissful shivers it resulted in a feeling of indescribable pleasure. Leonard's lips moved to her mouth, which she opened slightly to allow his tongue to enter. Their kissing now became wild and impetuous. Leonard's hands that rested on Penny's waist until now, started to slide up and down the side of her upper body, until they found a way under her top and cupped her breasts. Wandering with his lips back to her neck, Penny let out moans of pleasure. "Oh, Leonard!"

For the next few minutes they continued to caress each other's body, letting their arousal to go sky high. After another blissful shiver, caused by Leonard's kissing of her neck, Penny took off her top and threw it on the floor. A few moments later all other clothes she was wearing were spread on the floor. She hopped into bed and laid herself on the blanket. "Would you care to join me?" she said in a seductive tone. Leonard was spellbound by the stunningly beautiful girl in front of him. It took him a few seconds to collect his thoughts again. Then he got rid of his clothes and climbed in bed with her.

Smiling, and looking deeply into Leonard's eyes, Penny reached out her hand and touched his cheek. "Please make love to me."

* * *

It was long after midnight, when their love making full of passion and devotion ended. Leonard held Penny in a tender embrace and she gently drew patterns on his arm with her finger.

What Penny felt in this moment was different than anything she ever felt before with anyone else. And the same was true for Leonard. From the day they met in Omaha their feelings for each other became stronger and stronger with every day.

But now there was also a feeling this could be the first and the last time they would share this wonderful experience they had tonight. Sadness overcame Penny and she softly started to cry. Leonard gently stroke her head to comfort her. He knew why she was crying and he felt like crying too.

The last day of their road trip had broken. In a few hours Leonard would fly back to California and Penny would return to Omaha.

 **To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Once again, a big thank you to all those who read and reviewed. Here's chapter 6 of this story. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 6

Penny's soft crying stopped after a while. Leonard looked at her and saw, that she had fallen asleep. Struggling to keep his own tears at bay he closed his eyes and fell asleep a few minutes later as well.

With a start Leonard woke up from a dream he immediately forgot as soon as he had opened his eyes. He watched on his phone and saw it was only 4.30 a.m. He looked over at Penny, but couldn't see and feel her next to him. He was a little bit confused, then he turned around and saw her dark silhouette standing in front of the window of the hotel room, streetlight falling through it, which let the room appear in dark shades of grey and blue.

He got up, put on his glasses that lay on the nightstand next to his phone and walked towards Penny. In the pale light that came from outside he could see, that she was crying. She looked at him, her eyes full of sadness and hurt. Tears were running down her face. It broke his heart.

Leonard wrapped his arms around Penny, pulling her close to him. She buried her face into his shoulder and let her tears freely roll on to Leonard's shirt. After a while he felt her trembling as she started to sob now. Holding Penny tight, Leonard now couldn't stop his own tears from falling. "We will see each other again", he croaked with a shaking voice. "I promise." His sight blurred because of the tears in his eyes, Leonard tenderly cupped Penny's cheek with his hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "Penny, I promise. It won't be long until we'll see each other again."

Penny looked at him, an unstoppable stream of tears welling up from her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she said amongst sobs in a breaking voice. "So, so much. I don't know how I can get through this time without you." Penny's sobbing increased. "And when will we see each other again? When Leonard? When?" She was barely able to speak. Her sobbing began to convulse her body.

Leonard hold her tighter. "I don't know. But please believe me, I will leave no stone unturned. It will be as soon as possible. I promise, Penny. I promise."

Penny didn't say anything. She just wanted to be held. After a few minutes Leonard's tight embrace began to have a calming effect on her. Her sobbing stopped, but tears were still rolling down her cheeks. "As soon as you're back in California you have to call me. Will you do that?"

"Of course. I will call you. From today. Every. Single. Day," he assured her. "And again, I will leave no stone unturned. We will see each other again in no time."

Looking into his wonderful brown eyes, all her thoughts were focused on how much she would miss him. She would miss everything about him so much. His face, his voice, his smile, his eyes...his hair. She run her fingers through Leonard's soft and curly hair. _Yes, I'm even gonna miss his hair._ She looked at him with a sad smile. "Promise!" she demanded almost in a whisper.

Both had more or less stopped to cry by now. He brushed the remaining tears on Penny's face away with his thumb and smiled. "I promise," he said in a soft voice.

They stood in silence by the window, embracing each other, not wanting to let go of the other. After a few minutes of silently holding each other, crying so hard finally took a toll on Penny. She was exhausted and almost fell asleep with her head leaning against his shoulder. Leonard gently stroked her back, his head buried in her hair, inhaling the infatuating apple scent of her shampoo. The silence was interrupted when the alarm on Leonard's phone suddenly started. He had set the alarm for 5 a.m. They wanted to leave the hotel at 6 a.m. to have enough time to drive the 17 miles to Newark International Airport, where Penny's flight to Omaha would depart, and arrive the airport with enough time left for checking in and going through the security screening.

Nobody wanted to move. They wanted to hold each other like this forever. Penny felt safe and secure in Leonard's embrace. But unfortunately time doesn't stand still. Reluctantly they moved apart. "I have to go to my room and get ready," Leonard said. "Take all the time you need to get ready. I'll meet you at six, then we'll drive to the airport, okay?"

Penny nodded and gave him a tender kiss on his lips. "Okay."

While Penny went into the bathroom, Leonard got dressed and walked back to his hotel room. It was dark inside the room and Howard and Raj were still sleeping. Sitting for a moment on a chair he took a deep breath, before he went into the bathroom and took a shower. After finishing the rest of his morning wash, he stepped out in the hotel room again. He switched on the light and started to dress, which prompted Howard and Raj to wake up.

"Hey Leonard. Where were you last night?" Howard asked.

"I bet, he bedded Penny," Raj chuckled.

Leonard just looked at them not answering Howard's question and ignoring Raj's comment. "Penny's flight back to Omaha is at 8.30. I'll drive her to the airport in Newark. When I'm back we can check out and drive to JFK for our flight to Los Angeles."

Howard and Raj just nodded, seeing the obvious sadness in Leonard's face. They both recognized there was something serious going on between him and Penny and it wasn't the time for making inappropriate comments.

* * *

All the way to the airport Leonard and Penny remained silent and for their liking they arrived at the airport way too soon. They parked their car and picked a luggage trolley for Penny's baggage. Without speaking a word they walked to the departure terminal. Because of their early arrival there was no line at the ticket counter of Penny's airline, so she could check in immediately. Given their mood, the exaggerated kindness and the artificial looking smile of the airline staff behind the counter appeared strangely misplaced to Leonard and Penny. They were certainly not in a smiling mood. They had some time left until Penny's boarding call. Leonard took the sports bag, which Penny determined as her hand luggage and slung it over his shoulder. Holding hands, they slowly began to walk towards the security area. With each step they came closer to this area both of their stomachs turned.

Standing in front of the security area, where their ways had to part, Leonard turned to Penny, took both her hands and looked at her. "Umm...okay, this is really hard for me." Tears began to form in his eyes. "Damn, I don't want to cry."

Penny smiled, also trying hard to hold back her tears.

Leonard took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. "Penny, these two last weeks were the most wonderful time in my life. I..."

He couldn't finish his sentence, because Penny couldn't hold back her tears anymore and started to cry. Leonard immediately put his arms around her. "Please Penny. Don't cry."

"I'm sorry, Leonard," she apologized. "I wanted to stay strong, but I...I can't."

Leonard looked deeply into Penny's eyes. "You can, Penny. We can." Leonard cupped her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Remember, as soon as I'm back in California I will call you. From today I will call you at least one time every day," he reassured her. "I will call you so often, you'll feel annoyed by my intrusiveness," he chuckled.

Still crying, Penny couldn't help to smile at Leonard's last remark.

"Was that a smile?" Leonard asked mischievously.

Penny pursed her lips, tears still rolling down her face. "Maybe."

Leonard chuckled softly and looked deeply into her eyes again. "Penny, we'll find a way to see each other again as soon as possible. Trust me. Okay?"

"Okay." Penny nodded and took a deep breath. "Leonard, for me these last two weeks were the most wonderful time in my life too. I know, I've already said it numerous times. But thank you. Thank you for taking me along with you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to escape from my life in Omaha. Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome Penny."

For a few minutes they just stood in their embrace, holding each other tightly. Way too soon Penny's flight was called up by a loudspeaker announcement.

Penny sighed. "This is my flight."

Leonard nodded. He let go of Penny, knowing that if he didn't let go now he never would. With his thumbs he wiped the last remaining tears on her face away. "I will miss you Penny."

"I will miss you too, Leonard. So much."

"Have a safe flight. And remember I will call you, as soon as I'm back in California."

"Okay," Penny smiled and put a hand to his cheek. She leaned forward and kissed him. "Goodbye, Leonard."

"Goodbye, Penny. See you soon."

She hugged Leonard one more time and gave him another quick peck on his lips. Taking her sports bag from Leonard, she walked towards the gate of the security area. Shortly before Penny arrived the gate, she turned around and waved at Leonard with a smile on her face. He beckoned back, smiling as well. Then she went through the gate and was out of sight.

* * *

Feeling numb inside, Leonard walked back to his rental car and returned to the hotel in Brooklyn. Once he was back on the parking lot of the hotel, all pent up emotions forged ahead. Sitting in the car, he started to cry like never before in his life. Not having Penny at his side in this moment, felt like his heart was ripped out. Tears streamed down his face and there was no way it would stop anytime soon. Crying became sobbing and he wanted to bray out all the sadness and despair he felt. It took almost twenty minutes to regain his composure again. He went back to his hotel room, where Howard and Raj had already finished to pack. Not much was spoken. Howard and Raj knew, bringing up Penny wouldn't be a good idea. An hour later they checked out of the hotel and drove to John F. Kennedy International Airport. After turning in their rental car, checking in at the ticket counter and going through the security screening, they were waiting to board their flight back to California.

* * *

Penny's plane landed in Omaha dead on time. After getting her baggage in the arrival terminal of Omaha's Eppley Airfield, she called her parents, as she needed someone who would take her home. Thirty minutes later she sat on the passenger seat next to her mother. Apart from a short unemotional greeting, they remained silent during the whole time they drove to Penny's apartment. She just stared out of the window. Her mother Susan immediately sensed that Penny was in an emotional turmoil, but she knew she couldn't talk with her right now. Penny would just shut down. Once they had arrived, Susan helped her daughter to bring the baggage into her apartment. She offered her a lunch at the farm, but Penny declined. Not wanting to put any pressure on her, Susan hugged Penny, gave her a kiss on the forehead and bid good bye to her daughter.

Sitting in the solitude of her little apartment without Leonard at her side was hard to bear. She looked at the clock in the kitchen area. It was half past twelve, time for lunch, but she wasn't hungry. The only thing in her mind was Leonard. In about five hours he would arrive in Los Angeles. Not knowing what to do to bridge the time, she went to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. Staring at the ceiling, she relived every moment with Leonard since the day she met him in the restaurant. Every time she closed her eyes she could see his face. It was so close, but she couldn't touch it. The constant thought of not having him here by her side inevitably brought back tears to her eyes, which ran down on the sides of her face. Penny didn't know how long she lay on her bed, wrapped in thought of Leonard, but eventually sleep overpowered her.

* * *

During the whole flight, Leonard wasn't able to think about something else than Penny. Even when he closed his eyes, he saw her. At one point he had fallen asleep and had a vivid dream of Penny and him making out in a wheatfield. The kissing felt so real, when he woke up he had serious difficulties to come back into reality. Realizing that he was sitting in a plane heading towards Los Angeles without Penny, hit him so hard, that sadness and despair came back with a vengeance. A single tear rolled down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away, before Howard or Raj, who sat in the same row, could see it.

While Leonard slept, Howard and Raj had a quiet conversation.

"Dude, I think Leonard has fallen in love with Penny," Raj whispered.

"Yeah, I think so too. Have you seen how devastated he was, when he came back from the airport in Newark. Pain of parting at its best," Howard replied.

"Let's make a deal," Raj suggested. "Leonard is our friend. There is definitely something going on between these two. So, neither of us will hit on Penny, if we'll see her again. Agreed?"

"This is difficult for a Wolowitz man. But...yeah...Agreed!"

Leonard, Howard and Raj arrived in Los Angeles at 5.30 p.m. Three-quarters of an hour later they stood in front of the terminal. Leonard managed to find a relatively quiet corner and called Penny, as promised.

Penny was still sleeping when her phone rang. She slowly opened her eyes, not realizing at first she was hearing the sound of a ringing phone. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, it's Leonard." She practically fell out of bed and stormed into her living room to her sofa, picking up her phone to answer the call. "Hi, Leonard!" She smiled, slightly out of breath.

"Hi, Penny! Here's my call, as promised. I arrived in Los Angeles safe and sound."

"It's so good to hear your voice again."

"You can't imagine how much I missed yours."

Penny's voice began to show unambiguous signs that she was about to cry. "I miss you Leonard."

"I miss you too," he said softly. "But please, don't cry. Or I have to cry as well."

"Okay, okay!" Penny calmed herself. "No crying! I try to pull myself together."

They talked for a few minutes, before Howard and Raj started pushing him to end the call. After Leonard ended the call with an emotional good bye, that didn't go unnoticed for Howard and Raj, they hailed a cab to finally get home. First Howard was dropped off, followed by Raj. Finally the cab stood in front of the apartment building at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California. Leonard was home again.

* * *

Sighing that he had to use the stairs, because the elevator in the apartment building was broken, after it was damaged by one of his experiments involving rocket fuel, he started to climb up the steps with his baggage. A few minutes later Leonard opened the door to apartment 4A, the place he lived.

His roommate Sheldon sat in his special spot on the couch watching TV. "Hi Leonard," the lanky theoretical physicist greeted him.

"Hi, Sheldon. I'm back."

"I can see that," Sheldon said matter-of-factly.

Leonard put down his baggage, walked to his armchair and flopped down on it. "What's new?"

"What's new?" Sheldon asked flabbergasted. "New in what context? Physics, Trains, Movies, Video Games? Please be a little more specific."

Leonard specified his question. "Okay, what's new here in our apartment building?"

"See, this is a specific question. Sometimes I wonder how you can work scientifically, when you're not able to ask expedient questions. But then again, you're an experimental physicist. You're not doing scientific work, anyway," Sheldon condescendingly said. Getting a glare from Leonard, he continued. "Well, to answer your question, our neighbor in 4B has moved out last week."

Leonard immediately listened attentively. "The big man, who loves to wear women's clothes?"

"Yes, the two hundred pound transvestite with a skin condition. Do you know any other?"

Leonard jumped up from his armchair and ran into his room. Sheldon just shook his head and continued watching TV. Inside his room, Leonard yanked his phone from one of the pockets of his hoodie and dialed Penny's number. After just two seconds he heard Penny's lovely voice.

"Hi, Leonard. I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon," she said enthusiastically.

"Hi, Penny. Well...umm. There's something I need to tell you."

She was really excited now. "I'm all ears."

"Okay, here's the thing." Leonard explained, what he just learned a few minutes ago and what it could mean for him and Penny. "Our neighbor across the hall has moved out last week and his apartment is free now. Umm...you could move in there. I...I can take over a guarantee for you. I will do that. Absolutely! And I will help you to find a job, so you can pay the rent. What do you say?"

There was silence. Leonard was a bit concerned. "Penny?"

"Wow, Leonard." She needed a few seconds to process the information Leonard just gave her. "This is like a dream come true. I could really come to California and live in an apartment right across the hall from you?"

"Umm, yes. Sorry, I spring with this on you," he apologized. "Well, I promised I would make sure that we could see each other again as soon as possible. So, I...I just thought..."

"Leonard, sweetie, I don't want to stay here in Omaha. There's nothing left for me in this town. You said I should hold on to my dreams. My dream since I was a little girl was to go to California to become an actress. But I could also go back to school to get a degree. But the most important thing. I could be with you."

"Does this mean you really take this into consideration?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, Leonard. I want to be with you."

A feeling of incredible happiness shot through Leonard's body. She really wanted to be with him. Not just for a visit, but for the long run. They continued to talk for almost two hours, discussing the procedure that would be necessary and already making plans. Leonard could hear that Sheldon already had gone to bed, when their telephone conversation drew to a close.

"I can't believe this is really happening. This is so exciting." Penny said.

"It is, isn't it?"

Penny yawned. "Yep!"

"You're tired. You should go to bed."

"Yes, I'm really tired." She yawned again. "I send you a thousand kisses."

Leonard chuckled. "Received."

"Good night, Leonard," she smiled, which he couldn't see of course.

"Good night, Penny."

For Leonard and Penny it was impossible to think of sleep in that night. Several hours earlier both of them only felt sadness and despair, because they believed it would take a really long time until they could see each other again. And now at the end of this day they felt joy, hope and confidence.

* * *

The next day, Leonard called the landlord and asked if apartment 4B was still available. To his great joy he got a positive answer and said he would know someone who could move in. After explaining he would guarantee for the new tenant, the landlord assured Leonard he would keep the apartment free. He immediately called Penny and told her the good news.

From now on everything took its course. Because of some deadlines Penny had to stay in her apartment in Omaha till the end of October, which gave her enough time to arrange everything, especially the shipment of her furniture from Omaha to Pasadena. There was no turning back. Penny would move to California and she would live in an apartment across from Leonard.

Leonard and Penny spoke to each other on the phone several times a day for the next three and a half weeks until Penny would arrive in Pasadena. For the remaining time in Omaha, Penny earned some money by taking care of some horses at a farm near her parents farm. It wasn't easy for her to convince her parents that moving to California would be the right thing to do. Eventually it was Leonard, that made them accept Penny's move. She spoke so highly of him, always with a joyful sparkle in her eyes. They didn't want to stand in her daughter's path to happiness. The way Penny spoke of Leonard, told Wyatt and Susan there was something really special going on between them.

* * *

Penny's furniture arrived in Pasadena shortly before the end of the month. With the help of Howard and Raj, who still couldn't believe that Penny would move to California, Leonard brought her furniture into apartment 4B. Given that the elevator was broken this was a really difficult and exhausting task. They wanted to pass a furnished apartment on to Penny. The final touch was up to Penny of course. Needless to say, that Sheldon didn't help the three men at all, as he couldn't understand all this fuss because of a girl.

Standing in the door, Sheldon observed the bustle inside of apartment 4B. "Leonard, you are dragging this girl along. It's your obligation to take care of her."

"Oh no!" Leonard replied sarcastically. "Does this mean, you don't give me advice in girl matters?"

"No, I don't think so," Sheldon answered in his typical matter-of-fact style.

"Damn!" Leonard said in a fake annoyed tone.

Howard and Raj giggled. Sheldon turned to them and then to Leonard. "Sarcasm?"

"Think about it." Leonard replied with a bright smile on his face.

"Drat! I really have to learn to recognize it." He sighed and walked back to apartment 4A.

* * *

On the last night before she would leave Omaha and become a California girl so to say, Penny lay on a mattress in her more or less empty apartment. After her bed, TV and kitchen appliances were on their way to California, she moved in with her parents again for a few days, but the last night before moving to Pasadena she wanted to spent here.

Staring at the ceiling she couldn't believe the luck she had to met Leonard. She looked at the pictures she took of him on her phone and admired his fascinating smile, his soft and curly hair and those wonderful brown eyes. In addition there was his kindness, his warm-heartedness, his selflessness. Leonard was the whole package. She also thought back to the night they made love in New York and his amazing tenderness. She couldn't wait to see him again, to feel him again. With thoughts of Leonard she drifted off to sleep, having a wonderful dream of her new life in California.

 **To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'd like to thank alanjay for pointing out some "linguistic mishaps" to me in chapter 6. English is not my first language, so I expect that more of these things will happen or already have happened. ;-)**

 **Once again, a big thank you to all those who have read and reviewed.**

 **Here's the seventh chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 7

 _Leonard and Penny were sitting on a hill, watching over Los Angeles, whose countless millions of lights lit up the night sky. A splendid full moon above them, which seemed within their reach completed the scenery. Penny sat in Leonard's lap, his arms wrapped around her upper body. She turned her head around and looked into Leonard's wonderful brown eyes. She could see the reflexion of the moon in his eyes and all she wanted in this moment was to kiss him. Leonard smiled softly. It was a smile that melted her heart. They came closer and closer and in the moment their lips touched that blissful feeling she loved so much shot through her body. Their kissing, which started gently became more passionate..._

The alarm on Penny's phone tore her out of this wonderful dream. She was confused, still feeling Leonard's lips on hers. It took her a few seconds to realize she had dreamt. _God, how I miss those kisses. How I miss those eyes. How I miss Leonard._ Looking around with drowsy eyes and seeing the empty apartment, her mind slowly returned to reality. And suddenly it hit her like a hammer. Today was the day she left Nebraska and moved to California. And this wasn't a dream. This was real. She jumped up from the mattress, which served as her bed for the last night in her Omaha apartment. "California, I'm coming! Leonard, I'm coming!" Penny exclaimed enthusiastically. It was 10 o'clock in the morning. In less than six hours she would be sitting in a plane to Los Angeles to start a new chapter in her life.

Dancing and singing Penny hopped into the bathroom and took a shower. After finishing the rest of her morning routine, she called her parents. They had agreed to have brunch together, before Susan and Wyatt would bring her to the airport. She also wanted to call Leonard but remembered he had told her the evening before, he couldn't be contacted by phone till afternoon due to an experiment he wanted to conduct in his lab. But that was okay, she would see him in a few hours anyway. Shortly before her parents arrived, Penny checked everything in the apartment to make sure she had not forgotten something. Looking out of the window in the combined living room and kitchen, she looked at the empty spot where normally her car was parked. She had sold the vehicle for a relatively good price two days ago. Penny just wanted to turn away from the window, when she saw her parents arriving. Grabbing a suitcase and her purse, she opened the apartment door and stepped out into the hall of the second floor. Having a final look into the place that was her home for the last three years, she closed the door and went down the stairs. Before leaving the apartment building she deposited an envelope which contained the keys and a few signed documents into the mailbox of her now ex-landlord in the lobby. A few moments later she stowed her baggage in the trunk of her parent's car and literally jumped onto the back seat.

After having a nice brunch in a restaurant in downtown Omaha, Penny and her parents set out for the airport. They arrived there a few minutes after two o'clock in the afternoon. Penny checked in and a short time later they all stood in front of the security area. What followed was a highly emotional farewell, with lots of tears from all. Seeing Penny happy like never before, barely able to wait to start this new chapter in her life, made the parting easier for her parents. Penny promised to visit her parents as often as possible and her parents promised they would visit her, either together or individually, as often as possible too. As a farewell gift Susan and Wyatt gave Penny a framed picture of them with her and her sister and brother in it. The whole family united in one photograph. Then the boarding call came. Penny hugged her parents a final time and walked towards the security area. Turning around before entering the gate, she waved at her parents with a big smile on her face. She was on her way to California.

* * *

It was hard for Leonard to focus his attention on his work. He messed up the experiment he was conducting in his lab several times, because he thought of Penny all the time. And time passed by extremely slow today. Penny's flight from Omaha was scheduled to arrive at 5.22 p.m. He wanted to be at the airport at the right time to welcome her, so shortly before four o'clock Leonard left his lab. Fortunately the traffic on the 30 miles to the Los Angeles International Airport wasn't too heavy, although the afternoon rush hour was about to begin. But he was able to arrive at LAX in a little more than an hour. He parked his car, which wasn't an easy affair at this big airport, and went to the arrival terminal. The arrival board showed him, that Penny's flight just had landed, with a delay of ten minutes. Leonard walked to the gate, where the passengers from Omaha would come out. Sitting down, he waited joyful and in anticipation for Penny to emerge.

Twenty minutes later it was Penny who spotted him first, after she stepped into the arrival lounge. "Leonard!" she yelled. There was a second gate and he watched at the wrong one the whole time. Hearing Penny's wonderful voice he turned his head around. And there she was, beautiful as ever.

Penny dropped her suitcase and began to run into his arms. Seconds later she had her arms wrapped around Leonard's neck. "I missed you so much."

Holding his hands tightly around Penny's waist he looked into her sparkling green eyes. "I missed you too."

Seeing the affectionate look in Leonard's wonderful brown eyes she had missed so much, Penny couldn't hold in her feelings any longer and pressed her lips on his. It was a gentle and tender kiss, a meaningful kiss, which Leonard reciprocated immediately. The world around them was forgotten, only the two of them existed in this moment. For the people around them, Leonard and Penny must have looked like a pair of lovers, reunited after a long time of separation.

Neither of them knew how long they stood there, kissing and holding each other. When they broke their kiss, looking into each other's eyes, their foreheads touching, Leonard smiled at her. "Come on, let's go to your new home."

Smiling back, Penny nodded cheerfully. "Yeah, I can't wait to see my new home."

She let go of Leonard, while he grabbed her suitcase. With holding hands they walked together to Leonard's car.

* * *

During the drive from the airport to Pasadena it was nearly impossible for Penny to stop talking. For Leonard it was such a delight to listen to her. Once in a while they exchanged tender looks, which caused a blush on both of their faces.

It was almost half past seven, when they arrived at the apartment building. A few minutes later they entered the lobby. "I'm sorry," Leonard apologized. "We have to use the stairs. The elevator is broken."

"Oh, will it be fixed soon?" Penny asked.

Leonard was a bit embarrassed, since one of his experiments was the cause of the broken elevator. "Yeah, anytime soon."

They started to climb up the steps with Leonard carrying Penny's suitcase. When they reached the hall of the fourth level and stood in front of apartment 4B, Leonard handed over the keys to Penny. "Here we are, your new home."

Penny smiled brightly. "Thank you, sweetie." She inserted the key into the lock. "That's so excting."

The door opened and they entered the apartment. All of Penny's furniture was parked inside. It was a bit chaotic, but everything was there and nothing was damaged. A box that was marked with 'dishes" nearly slid off Raj's hands, but Leonard could prevent the box from falling to the ground at the last second with an artistic jump.

Penny was impressed. "Wow! You brought up all my stuff in here."

"With a little help from my friends," Leonard chuckled. "Howard and Raj gave me a helping hand. Now we can furnish your new home according to your wishes," Leonard smiled.

Penny looked around and investigated the boxes. "That's so cool. How can I ever thank you?"

"Nah! That was nothing!"

She hugged Leonard and gave him a smooch on his lips.

"Umm...are you hungry?" Leonard asked. "Howard and Raj will bring Indian food for dinner. They must be here any minute. Why don't you come over to my place and meet my roommate Sheldon."

Penny nodded. "Oh, that would be nice. Let's go."

Together they walked over to apartment 4A. Leonard opened the door and they stepped in. Sheldon stood behind the kitchen island and poured himself a cup of tea.

Leonard closed the door and put his key in a bowl, which was placed on a small cupboard next to the door. "May I introduce Penny to you?"

Smilingly, Penny waved at Sheldon. "Hi, Sheldon."

Sheldon replied a bit reserved. "Hi, Penny."

"Well, make yourself at home," Leonard said to Penny.

"Thank you." Penny walked around in the apartment and saw Sheldon's board. "This looks like some serious stuff. Leonard, did you do this?"

Sheldon stepped in towards Penny. "No, Leonard didn't do this. This is the work of Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Science, Caltech theoretical physicist. Me!" He walked over to the board leaning against it as if he wanted to hug it and grinned complacently. "This is just some quantum mechanics with a little string theory doodling around the edges. That part there, that's just a joke. It's a spoof of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Leonard isn't capable of doing this," he scoffed.

Penny was taken aback. "Umm...okay, that's quite impressive, but why are you so condescending and mean?"

Sheldon was flabbergasted. "Pardon? I'm not condescending and mean. I'm just telling the truth." He walked over to Leonard and spoke to him in a quieter voice. "She's too perky and doesn't seem to appreciate my contributions to science. I don't like her. Make her go away."

Penny rolled her eyes. "I've heard that. And the truth is, Leonard's a great guy and from what he told me during the road trip it's safe to say he's a great scientist too. So, be nice to him."

Sheldon was lost for words and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He couldn't believe how this girl talked to him, given the fact they just met each other a few minutes ago.

Leonard raised his hand. "Umm, Penny. I have a board too. Look, this is my board."

"Holy smokes," Penny exclaimed. She was truly impressed.

Sheldon wrinkled his nose. "If by holy smokes you mean a derivative restatement of the kind of stuff you can find scribbled on the wall of any men's room at MIT, sure."

Leonard was outraged. "Are you kidding me?"

"Wow! That was really nasty." Penny glared at Sheldon. "I said be nice to Leonard!" Turning to Leonard she smiled at him and gave him a peck on his cheek. "I like your board, sweetie. It's really impressive."

Again, Sheldon was baffled by Penny's assertiveness and couldn't counter her. She walked over to the couch and sat down. But of course she sat down in Sheldon's spot of all places. His protest followed immediately. "Umm...Penny, that's where I sit."

"Can't you sit somewhere else?" Penny asked.

"No, I can't. I sit there," Sheldon insisted.

Penny became slightly annoyed. "What's the difference?"

Sheldon was aghast. "What's the difference?"

Sitting down in his armchair, Leonard facepalmed. "Here we go."

Sheldon began to explain. "In the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer it's directly in the path of a cross breeze created by open windows there, and there." He pointed in the direction of two windows. "It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide to create a parallax distortion, I could go on, but I think I've made my point."

Penny was somewhat perplexed and shook her head. "Do you want me to choose another place to sit?" she asked unnerved.

"Yes, please," Sheldon said.

Penny was about to get up, but Leonard signified her to remain seated. He looked over to Sheldon. "Try to sit somewhere else."

"Fine." Sheldon pouted. With a lost expression on his face, he began to wander around the room in circles and tried to find another place to sit, that could match his needs.

Leonard and Penny watched him in a mixture of amusement and bafflement, before Leonard lost his patience. "Sheldon, sit!" he ordered.

Like a dog Sheldon sat down where he just stood in this moment. He flopped down on the opposite end of the couch, next to Penny. "Aaah!"

"Wow, you look really uncomfortable," Penny chuckled.

"It seems my discomforting pleases you," Sheldon replied.

Penny nodded. "Oh yes, it does," she laughed, while Leonard had to grin broadly.

In this moment Howard and Raj entered the apartment with bags in their hands. "She's here! Hi, Penny", Howard greeted her. "It's so nice to see you again." Raj just smiled and waved.

"Hi Howard! Hi Raj!" Penny greeted them back.

Sitting down in a wooden chair next to Leonard, Howard looked over to Penny and raised a brow. "Let me take this opportunity to point out that you are looking particularly ravishing today."

Penny answered with a shake of the head and Leonard with an angry stare. Before Howard could continue to talk, Raj gave him a dig with the elbow and whispered something into his ear. "Oh right, our deal," Howard said.

"A deal?" Leonard asked.

"Umm...it's nothing," Howard replied and quickly changed the topic.

Raj handed out the food and sat down on the floor, opening a bottle of beer. They started to eat and talked about the events of the day. All but Sheldon, who nervously fidgeted around on his unfamiliar place on the couch.

After a few minutes, Penny asked for the bathroom. Leonard showed her the way. As soon as Penny got up from the couch, Sheldon instantly took his usual spot. "Ah, that's better," he said relieved.

"By the way, since when can you talk to women?" Sheldon asked Raj.

"We found out, that alcohol gives me this ability. Cool, huh?" Raj answered with a grin.

"Fascinating," Sheldon replied in Spock style.

When Penny returned after a few minutes, she saw that Sheldon was back on his spot. "Well, I guess I have to find another place to sit."

Leonard asked Howard to sit on the couch and offered Penny the wooden chair next to him.

* * *

An hour later, Howard and Raj left the apartment and went home. Leonard and Penny sat at the table in the living room and talked, while Sheldon sat at his desk, working on a scientific paper on his computer.

Penny stretched her arms and leaned over to Leonard, her mouth near his ear. "Do you want to come over to my place?" she whisperd in a quite seductive tone.

Leonard gulped. "Umm...sure."

Penny got up and walked to the door. Winking at Leonard, she imitated a kiss.

"Hey, Sheldon," Leonard called out to his roommate. "I go over to Penny's."

Sheldon turned around. "Okay, but whatever you do over there. Keep it down, please," he said matter-of-factly.

"Okay" Leonard and Penny answered in unison and giggled.

Sheldon shook his head and turned his attention to his work again.

As soon as they were out of the apartment and the door was closed behind them, Penny pulled Leonard to her and started to plant fierce kisses all over his face. "Oh, Leonard. You can't imagine how hard it was for me to sit next to you the whole time, not able to do anything." Continuing to kiss him she walked Leonard over to her apartment and quickly opened the door. She pushed Leonard, who didn't really know what happened to him, inside and kicked the door shut.

"Wow, Penny what..." But before he could speak on, Penny had her lips firmly pressed on his. She pushed him against her apartment door, her tongue desperately seeking entrance to his mouth, which he granted after a few seconds. Now reciprocating Penny's kiss passionately, Leonard laid his arms on her waist and began to caress her upper body. Penny pushed herself tighter against him, her hands linked around his neck. Their kissing became fiercer with every second. Gasping for air after a while, Penny let out a deep moan, while Leonard breathed laboredly, his chest heavily heaving up and down.

Smiling at each other, Penny removed her hands from his neck and started to undress him. She took his hoodie off, lifted his t-shirt and began to roam over his chest with her hands. At the same time Leonard thoroughly kissed Penny's neck below the ear, which caused further sensual moans by her. Bringing his lips back to hers, they startet to kiss again in an extremely passionate way. Breaking their kissing again to gasp for breath, Penny broke away from Leonard and pulled his t-shirt over his head. She pointed with her head in the direction of the wood-rimmed glass door in the corner of the room. "I guess this is the bedroom."

Leonard nodded.

"Let's see if you have set up my bed correctly," Penny grinned and pulled off her shirt.

Leonard's eyes went wide. "Umm...Well, there was just one possibilty to..."

Penny put her forefinger on his mouth. "Honey, shush, shush, shush." She smiled seductively, took Leonard's hand and led him to the bedroom.

 **To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Once again, a big thank you to all those who have read and reviewed.**

 **This is chapter 8. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 8

Breathing hard in the wake of their love making, Leonard and Penny lay side by side in Penny's bed, her head resting on his upper arm and their hands intertwined.

"Wow, you really are a genius," Penny sighed deeply satisfied.

"Not, really. I googled how to do that," Leonard replied.

Penny grinned. "It doesn't matter how you got at this information, the main point is that it worked. And how!"

Leonard smiled and kissed her cheek. For the next few minutes they just lay in a tender embrace with half closed eyes. Savoring the comfortable silence, Penny had rested her head on Leonard's chest and drew patterns on his stomach with her finger.

It was Leonard who broke the silence. "Do you want me to stay overnight?" he asked.

Penny looked up to him and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. "I insist."

"Okay, I'm just whipping round to my place and get a few things for the night."

"And when you're back we take a shower together, " Penny suggested. "What do you think of that?"

"Sounds good," Leonard replied with a smirk on his face.

He climbed out of bed, grabbed his clothes that were scattered around the apartment and quickly put on his underwear, pants and t-shirt. Walking over to apartment 4A, he opened the door as silent as possible. Entering the apartment, he saw Sheldon coming from the hallway leading to the bathroom and the two bedrooms.

"Oh, hi Sheldon. Still up?"

"I'm coming from the bathroom. I couldn't sleep, thanks to you and your...whatever Penny is to you. My request to keep it down was totally disregarded," Sheldon complained. "Your carnal noises could be heard all over the city."

"Really?" Leonard asked, feeling embarrassed.

"I exaggerated." Sheldon said. "But I could hear you and it was loud enough to deprive me of my sleep. And depriving people of their sleep is not a thing you should take lightly. Especially when it concerns people like me, who need their sleep to be well rested, so the next day they can properly accomplish their important work for science in particular and for mankind in general."

Leonard frowned. "Umm...yeah, whatever." He walked past Sheldon into the bathroom and grabbed his washing utensils. Then he went into his room and took some fresh clothes out of his closet. At a smart pace he walked over to Penny's place, ignoring Sheldon on his way to the door, who wanted to say something when Leonard passed him.

He entered apartment 4B and looked around. Hearing the water of the shower running in the bathroom, he went to the bedroom, took off his clothes and slowly opened the door to the bathroom. "I'm back."

Penny, who was already in the bathtub, pushed the shower curtain aside. "Come in. The water is wonderful."

Climbing into the bathtub, Penny held out shower gel to Leonard. "Would you please soap my back?"

"With pleasure," he answered.

Soaping each other under the warm water of the shower was such a fun, it took them quite a long time to get out of the bathtub again. Toweling each other down afterwards was equally fun, so it was almost midnight, when Leonard and Penny lay in bed huddled up to one another.

* * *

The next three days were spent in furnishing Penny's place. While Leonard was at work, Penny did most of the furnishing herself, but as soon as Leonard was home he lend her a helping hand. At times Howard and Raj helped too, the only one who didn't help was Sheldon. By the end of Penny's first week in Pasadena her apartment was fully furnished according to her taste.

Together with Leonard she also bought a car. Looking around at used car dealers, newspaper ads and the internet, the only affordable car for Penny was an old red 1980s Volkswagen Cabriolet. Fortunately the vehicle was in an acceptable condition. She needed a car, as soon as her next point on the agenda would be crowned with success. Finding a job.

One thing was clear for Penny. Waiting tables again was out of the question. By herself and together with Leonard she began to study job vacancies in newspapers and browsed through employment websites on the internet. In the following days she applied for several jobs that interested her, like coworker in a nail salon, store clerk in a fashion shop or staff member in a subsidiary of a car rental company, but to no avail.

* * *

One week and a half had passed, since Penny lived in Pasadena. She had to find a job, or her dream to live a financially independent life would be over before it even started. Sitting on her turquoise couch she stared at a job offer on her computer, that seemed to mock her.

 _The Cheesecake Factory is looking for you. Join our team. Apply now!_

She didn't know what to do, but she absolutely needed a job. Reluctantly she picked up her phone and called the number in the job offer. A few minutes later she ended the call. "Of course, one call at a restaurant to become a waitress again, and I have an invitation for a job interview." While dropping back into the backrest of her couch, someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Leonard."

Penny immediately sat up. "Come in, the door is open."

"Hi Penny."

"Hi Leonard," she smiled. "It's so good to see you." She beckoned him over to the couch. "Come here, sweetie. Have a seat."

Leonard walked over to the couch and sat down next to Penny, who engulfed him in a hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"What's eating you?" Leonard asked. "You look a bit exhausted."

"Well, it looks like I will return to the exciting world of waiting tables again," she answered.

"Oh, I see," Leonard replied. "I know, this is certainly not what you have imagined, but for the time being it will help you to pay the rent and bills. And maybe you want to go shopping. That's easier with money," he grinned.

"Smarty-pants," Penny chuckled. "But you're right. Rent and bills won't pay itself. And yeah, I would like to go shopping now and then." Her mood visibly brightened up. "Maybe there's some money left for acting lessons, and you know that I want to go back to school some day to get a degree."

Leonard nodded and smiled at her.

Penny smiled back and gave him another kiss on his cheek. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"No, thanks." Leonard cleared his throat. "Umm, well. Actually I came over because I would like to ask you something."

"Sure. Go ahead!"

"Umm...I think a lot of feelings are floating around between us since the day we met. I mean, it's quite obvious that a lot of feelings are floating around and we showed a lot of affection for one another." Leonard paused for a few seconds, while Penny expectantly looked at him. "Umm...you know, since we met there was a lot of kissing and cuddling. We had intimate encounters..."

Penny had to chuckle. "Intimate encounters? You mean sex!"

"Well, umm...yes." Leonard blushed heavily. "So, I would like to ask you...umm...Would you go out with me? I mean, officially." He smiled his shy smile, which Penny knew so well from the first days on their road trip. It quickly turned into his special smile which captured Penny's heart for the first time in the Chicago Art Institute.

She suddenly felt a rush of really deep affection for Leonard. And the butterflies were back. Somehow they were there the whole time when she was with Leonard, but now they came back with a vengeance. Millions and millions of them. "Leonard, sweetie," she smiled brightly. "I think we are already in some sort of relationship, don't you think? But to answer your question. Yes, I would love to go out with you...officially."

Leonard beamed like a christmas tree. "Wow! That makes me really happy!"

Penny was moved by his reaction. "I'm happy too." With a bright smile she leaned forward and put her arms around Leonard.

"May I invite you to a dinner tonight?" Leonard asked.

"Our first official date, huh? Yes, I'd love to! That sounds great," Penny answered cheerfully.

"Ok, I'll go over to my place and make a reservation. I'll pick you up at seven thirty, okay?"

Penny nodded. "Okay."

Leonard got up and walked to the door and was about to open it, when he paused to think.

"What are you thinking about?" Penny asked.

"Well, somehow we put the cart before the horse. You know, we already had sex before our first official date."

"Well, if you think about it, you already invited me for dinner twice. In Cleveland and New York. I must say these dinners absolutely felt like dates. Do you know the three date rule? We just made it a two date rule."

Both laughed heartily and with a wave Leonard left Penny's apartment to go to his place.

* * *

Adorning himself for their first official date, Leonard opted for gray cloth pants, a matching vest, a black and dark blue shirt and an elegant jacket. At first he also wanted to add a tie to his outfit, but eventually decided against it.

At half past seven Leonard walked over to Penny's apartment and knocked at her door. When Penny opened a few moments later Leonard's jaw literally dropped to ground. She wore a sleeveless purple silk sundress with floral patterns, whose hem ended above the knees. Her hair was open, falling down on her shoulders and the subtly put on makeup highlighted her gorgeous green eyes. It was truly a joy to behold.

"Wow, Penny. You look absolutely fantastic."

She beamed. "Thanks, honey. You look great too. So fashionable. Come on in."

"Thank you." Leonard entered the apartment. "I made an eight o'clock reservation. There's a nice italian restaurant a few blocks from here. I hope you like italian food."

"I love italian food," Penny said enthusiastically.

"I am very pleased to hear that," Leonard smiled. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, please." Penny grabbed a dark purple cardigan, that lay on her couch and put it on. Then she took her purse and together they left her apartment.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Leonard had parked his car in front of the restaurant that served as the place of their first official date. With a smile he indicated to Penny to remain seated and got out of the car first. He walked around the vehicle and opened the passenger door. Holding out his hand, like the true gentleman he was, Leonard helped Penny out of the car. After closing and locking the doors, he offered her his arm. Penny was delighted. Tucking her arm into Leonard's they walked into the restaurant.

In the foyer of the restaurant they were greeted by the maître d' who asked for their names. Moments later Leonard and Penny were led to a free table for two in a snug corner. The light in this part of the restaurant was dimmed and on their table two candles were burning.

Leonard helped Penny to take off her cardigan, which she placed over the backrest of her chair. Then he pulled her chair backwards a little bit, so she could have a seat.

Penny adored his courtesy. "Leonard, you're such a gentleman."

"Always at your service!" he smiled and seated himself.

Penny savored the atmosphere in the restaurant. "This is so romantic."

It didn't take long and a waiter appeared at their table. "Buonasera!" he greeted them in italian. "My name is Luigi. I will be your waiter for the evening. I'd like to present you our menus." He handed out the menus. First to Penny, then to Leonard. "Would you like something to drink?"

"A water for me, please," Penny said. Leonard ordered the same.

"Very well." With a nod Luigi turned on his heel and went to the kitchen area.

"This is really a beautiful place. Have you been here before?" Penny asked.

"No, but I knew this restaurant from an article about the best restaurants in Pasadena I read on the internet a few months ago. And now I have the opportunity to eat here with a gorgeous girl."

"Aww, Leonard," she blushed. "That's so sweet."

Leonard and Penny started to look through the menus. A minute later Luigi brought them two glasses of water and asked if they wanted an appetizer. They answered in the affirmative and both ordered an antipasto platter with olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies and artichoke hearts. It was served a few minutes later and it was delicious.

When Luigi saw that Leonard and Penny had finished their appetizer, he returned and asked if they had chosen an entree. Both nodded and placed their orders. Leonard ordered pasta with prosciutto and lettuce, but without parmesan due to his lactose intolerance, and Penny ordered 'Spaghetti a la Puttanesca', a pasta meal with cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers and anchovies. While noting the orders on his pad Luigi also asked if they wanted wine with the meal. Affirming they asked him which wine he could recommend for their meal. He named the matching wines, which Leonard and Penny ordered as well.

While they waited for their entrees, they talked about a lot of stuff. Leonard told Penny stories about his life together with Sheldon and about some events at his work place at Caltech, while she told him funny stories of her time in high school and on her parent's farm. At one point Penny had to laugh so hard about one of Leonard's stories that the other people in the restaurant turned their heads and looked in their direction, which was quite embarrassing for her.

Thirty minutes later Luigi returned with the entree. He placed the plates with the infatuating smelling food on their table and poured them their wines. Then he wished Leonard and Penny a good appetite in italian. "Buon appetito!" With these words Luigi left their table.

"Enjoy your meal!" Leonard smiled.

"The same to you," Penny replied who couldn't wait to taste the meal, whose luscious scent let her mouth watering. She coiled up a few of her spaghetti on her fork and ate it. "Wow, that tastes amazing."

"Can I try?" Leonard asked.

"Of course," she nodded and swirled another forkful of spaghetti around her fork with bits of olives and cherry tomatoes and held it out to him.

He took her fork and ate the spaghetti. "Wow, indeed. That's really good," he said enthusing, giving back the fork. "Do you wanna try my pasta?"

Penny nodded. "Yes, please."

Leonard picked a good deal of pasta with lettuce from his plate, omitting the prosciutto since she told him a while back she were a vegetarian, and held out his fork.

Instead of taking the fork, Penny bent forward and ate the pasta directly from there. "Mmm, that tastes amazing too."

"It does." Leonard plunged his fork into his pasta and ate it with relish, making moaning sounds, which made Penny chuckle.

Penny relished her spaghetti as well, also making moaning sounds once in a while to express how good her meal tasted.

"This wine is perfect for this meal," Penny said after taking her first sip of wine.

"Absolutely!" Leonard agreed and lifted his glass, so he could click glasses with her.

They continued to eat, looking at each other the whole time, both with a smile on their faces. Thirty minutes later they had finished their entree. Now it was time for the dessert. Leonard ordered a dairy-free tiramisu and Penny a flourless chocolate cake with bourbon vanilla ice cream, which was served a few minutes later.

Savoring the delicious desserts in contented silence, they exchanged affectionate glances with both smiling shyly every so often.

Animated by the romantic atmosphere in the restaurant, the more or less secluded area where their table stood and of course by Leonard's sheer presence, Penny became a little frisky and removed one of her shoes and began to play footsie with Leonard under the table.

"Stop teasing me." Leonard grinned.

"I don't know what you mean," Penny said innocently, continuing to rub her foot on Leonard's lower leg. Then she took another spoon of her ice cream, with the result that a little bit of it remained on her upper lip. Of course Penny noticed that and she began slowly wiping it away with her tongue in an extremely seductive manner, all the while looking Leonard straight in the eyes.

Leonard had to gulp heavily. "You are torturing me. Do you know that? And the worst. You seem to like it," he chuckled.

Penny smirked. "I do. What do you wanna do about it?", she asked, breaking off a little piece of her cake and led it to her mouth. After placing the cake into her mouth she licked every of her fingers in a very sensual way.

"You're getting me down," Leonard smiled. "And you'll see what I'm gonna do about it, as soon as we're home. But..." He paused for a few seconds to emphasize the following words. "...when you stop to tease and torture me, a very special dessert could be yours," Leonard said and winked.

Penny bit her lip. "Uuh! A very special dessert you say? That sounds really interesting."

"Yeah, but you get it only...ooooh" Leonard winced. Penny had just rubbed her foot on a highly sensitive region of his inner thigh.

"Stop it! Right now!" Leonard demanded in a fake annoyed tone.

"What are you talking about?" Penny said in an innocent tone. "I haven't done anything."

"Yeah, right. Hereby your special dessert is off the table," he laughed.

"Oh no," she pouted playfully, which made Leonard laugh. "Okay, I stop torturing and teasing you. I'll be good. Now I will get my special dessert later, right?"

He cupped his chin in his hand. "Hmm, maybe. We'll see," he grinned.

Both laughed and continued to eat their desserts, again exchanging affectionate glances. It was almost half past ten, when Leonard looked at his watch and said they should head back home. He called for the check, which Luigi placed on their table a few minutes later. After writing a generous tip for the waiter, Leonard paid the check with his credit card.

Leonard helped Penny to slip in her cardigan and they walked out of the restaurant.

* * *

Standing in front of Leonard's car, Penny had an idea. "We could go for a little walk. What do you think?"

"Sure, why not," he answered with a smile. Holding hands they started to walk away from the car.

After a few minutes walking in contented silence, Penny started to talk. "This is such a wonderful evening. I'm so glad you asked me out."

"Me, too," Leonard replied and smiled at her.

Penny smiled back, feeling the butterflies in her stomach again. After another few minutes in silence, Penny looked up to the sky. "Aww, look at the moon. It's so beautiful."

"It is, indeed." Leonard agreed. "Speaking of the moon. Did you know, that in 1969, the astronauts on Apollo 11 positioned reflectors on the surface of the moon?

Penny shook her head. "No, I didn't know that."

"Well," Leonard continued. "Sheldon, Howard, Raj and I are planning to shoot a laser off one of them in a few weeks from the roof of our apartment building and let the light bounce back into a photomultiplier. Maybe you want to join us then?"

"Of course!" Penny replied. "That sounds very cool."

Leonard beamed. "Great!"

They continued their walk hand in hand till they arrived the Pasadena City Hall. Sitting down on a bench in front of the mighty building, Leonard looked at Penny, who returned his look with a smile. "Umm...can I pose a question to you?" he asked.

Penny nodded. "Sure!"

"Umm, now that we are officially go out together. Umm, how would you describe our relationship? How would you define us?" Leonard asked.

Smiling, Penny took both of Leonard's hands into hers and looked into his eyes. "I think I know what you're getting at." Pausing for a few seconds, she suddenly felt shy and nervous. "Well, umm...I would say you're my boyfriend, which means I'm your girlfriend."

In this moment she could see Leonard's eyes becoming moist, which immediately transferred on her own eyes. "I hope that's the answer you were hoping for," she said shyly with a slightly shaking voice.

"That's definitely the answer I was hoping for," Leonard smiled and blinked his tears away. He bent foward and gave his girlfriend a tender kiss on her lips.

Penny felt the butterflies as strong as never before. Here she sat in California, with this great guy, who was now officially her boyfriend, and nearly two months earlier she thought her life couldn't become more miserable after what had happened with Kurt. But then she met Leonard, who was in her hometown by pure chance and brought her out of her misery. She could hardly believe her luck. With a stern face she looked at Leonard. "Oh, and just so you know. Now that we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we are exclusive."

Leonard nodded. "Agreed!"

"Good," she smiled and gave him a kiss. "And now I'd like to get my special dessert from my boyfriend."

Leonard got up from the bench they were sitting on and took Penny by the hand. "Let's go then."

They walked back to the car and drove home. It became a long night.

 **To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: As always, a big thank you to all those who have read and reviewed.**

 **Here's chapter 9. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 9

More than a month had passed since Leonard and Penny were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Penny now worked as a waitress in the Cheesecake factory and also had begun to take acting lessons. Penny didn't like the job in the Cheesecake factory and considered herself a terrible waitress, even more terrible than in Omaha, but she became friends with two colleagues, named Cheryl and Kim. It was nice for her to have female friends in Pasadena, so she was able to stage a girl's night now and then. A really pleasant surprise were her acting lessons. It wasn't just that the atmosphere in the class was very enjoyable, but also her acting teacher, a nice middle-aged woman with purplish hair, immediately saw a huge talent in her and supported and encouraged her in every way. In addition her relationship with Leonard became stronger and stronger with every day. They enjoyed their time together immensely, but there was one person who apparently tried to limit this time, so his own needs could be better pleased. This person was Leonard's roommate Sheldon.

It was dinner time in apartment 4A. Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj and Sheldon wered gathered around the table in the living room, eating their takeout. After talking about the events of the day, Sheldon hijacked the discussion and began to talk about his schedule for the following days, which included a long monologue about train stores in southern California and ended with a blunt order at Leonard to take him to a train store approximately 40 miles south of Pasadena.

"No Sheldon," Leonard exclaimed. "I'm not going to take you to the good model train store in Garden Grove tomorrow."

"But the one here in Pasadena has gotten too big for its britches. I told you this a few minutes ago. Why do you never listen?" Sheldon complained.

"I don't care," Leonard replied. "I promised Penny to go to the stage play of her acting class tomorrow."

"Are you seriously telling me, you choose a silly stage play of your girlfriend over a car ride to a train store with me?" Sheldon asked in disbelief.

"No, of course not," Leonard answered sarcastically.

"Ah, I knew you would eventually come to your senses." Sheldon was pleased. Looking around and seeing all others either shaking their head or giggling, he sighed. "Oh, I see. Sarcasm." He turned to Leonard, but also gave Penny a glare. "This girl has really a bad influence on you. I wish you had never met her."

Penny, who sat next to her boyfriend, rolled her eyes. "But he did. So deal with it!" She leaned over to Leonard and gave him a firm smooch on his lips.

"Eww." Sheldon crunched his nose. "Your public displays of affection are highly irritating."

Penny stuck her tongue out at Sheldon, while Leonard broadly grinned. "Well, it looks like you have to find another one who takes you to this train store," he said.

"No, I don't," Sheldon objected. "You have to take me. You are obligated."

But Leonard didn't give in. "Again, Sheldon. I'm not taking you to this train store."

Sheldon got up from his spot on the couch and went to his desk, taking a document out of a file box. "Wrong, sir. Wrong. Under section 35 of the roommate agreement, weekly duties, you are obligated to take me to a train store of my choice." He held the paper right under Leonard's nose. "See? It's right here."

Leonard became angry now. "You know what, I am sick of the roommate agreement. It's ridiculous. I'm your roommate, not your chauffeur."

Sheldon was horrified. "But the roommate agreement that you signed four years ago says otherwise," he whined.

Leonard put him off. "Whatever. I'm done."

"Hold on. What do you mean? Do you want to invoke clause 209?" Sheldon asked flabbergasted.

Leonard sighed. "Clause 209? I don't know what that is, but if it means I can go to Penny's play, instead of taking you to this train store, then yes."

"Think carefully here," Sheldon added for consideration. "Clause 209 suspends our friendship, and strips down the roommate agreement to its bare essentials. Our responsibilities toward each other would only be rent, utilities and a perfunctory chin jut of recognition as we pass in the hall." He demonstrated the latter. "'Sup?"

Leonard shook his head. "Where do I have to sign?" he asked.

Sheldon went to his desk again, taking another document out of the file box and gave it to Leonard, together with a pen. "This document will enforce clause 209. Sign on the line at the bottom of the page."

Leonard took the pen and signed. "There. Done."

Penny rubbed Leonard's back and grinned gleefully at Sheldon.

"All right." Sheldon said matter-of-factly. "That's it. We are now no longer companions, boon or otherwise. We are now merely acquaintances. To amend the words of Toy Story, you haven't got a friend in me."

"It was the right decision," Penny assured Leonard.

He looked at Penny and smiled. "Absolutely! In order to see my girlfriend on a stage, I accept this."

"Yeah, well. Tell it to someone who cares." Sheldon replied.

When they finished their take out thirty minutes later, Howard and Raj went home and Sheldon watched TV. Leonard and Penny adjourned to apartmant 4B, where they let the evening fade out, watching a film.

* * *

The Christmas holidays drew nearer and both apartment 4A and 4B were decorated in a festive way, complete with really nice Christmas trees. Although living with a roommate agreement was now easier for Leonard, since it was stripped down to its bare essentials, he spent most of the time at Penny's place.

It was the night before Christmas Eve. Leonard and Penny sat on Penny's couch huddled up to one another under a blanket and watched a random show on TV.

Muting the TV during a commercial break, Penny looked up to Leonard. "This will be our first Christmas as boyfriend and girlfriend. You'll get a very special present from me."

Leonard chuckled. "Is it the same you gave me last night? Because that was indeed very special."

Penny grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. "Always thinking of that. No, it's really something special. You'll see."

"I can't wait to get it," he said with a smile.

"Umm, by the way. What about this weird roommate agreement you and Doctor Wackadoodle have. Is it still in a basic mode?" she asked.

"Yes, still stripped down to its bare essentials," Leonard answered. "I think I will reinstate it again next month, but not without essential modifications. Oh, and the section concerning you needs a complete revision."

Penny was flabbergasted. "A section concerning me?"

He chuckled. "Oh, sorry I didn't told you yet. Sheldon added a Penny-specific section on the day you moved in."

Penny shook her head. "That's crazy."

"It is," he agreed. "Will you support me in the negotiations to make this roommate agreement an affair among equals?"

"Absolutely!" Penny assured him. "You are my boyfriend. What concerns you, also concerns me. Together we form an united front against the hardships caused by Sheldon Cooper.

"That's my girl," Leonard said. Laughing and bumping their fists, they continued to watch TV.

* * *

Sleeping at his place during the night before Christmas morning, Leonard was awakened by the tone of an incoming message on his phone. With drowsy eyes he looked at the phone and read the message.

 **Good morning and Merry Christmas. It's time for exchanging the presents. Please come over. xoxo**

He leapt out of bed and grabbed his present for Penny, that was stored in his closet. Putting on his robe, he went out of his room and walked over to Penny's apartment.

When he strode through the living room, he greeted Sheldon, who sat on the couch and watched TV. "'Sup?"

Sheldon greeted back. "'Sup?"

A few moments later Leonard stood in front of Penny's apartment door and knocked. "Come in," he heard her saying. He opened the door and entered Penny's place. Closing the door, he looked around but couldn't see her. "Penny?", he asked a little bit confused. She slowly came out of the bedroom, making a sexy pose in front of Leonard, who almost dropped his present. She wore something that must be the hottest Christmas-style dress ever. A very short red minidress with white plush at the hem, white fuzzy boots and a Christmas hat. It was a delightful sight.

"Wow! Penny! You are really full of surprises." He put down his present on the coffee table.

"That's the way I am," she smiled and took a wonderfully wrapped package from under the Christmas tree and passed it to Leonard. "Here's my gift for you."

"Thank you," he said and unpacked it. "Wow, this is so beautiful." It was a framed pencil drawing of Leonard and her. "Did you draw this?"

Penny nodded, happy about Leonard's excitement. "I hope you like it."

"I love it," he exclaimed. "It will get a special place in my bedroom."

Engulfing Penny in a hug, he kissed her cheek and took his present from the coffee table. "And here's my gift for you."

"Wow, this is really heavy," she said after he handed the rather big rectangular package to her, which she slowly unpacked. "A World History of Art," she exclaimed full of joy. "Thank you Leonard, this is absolutely wonderful. But these kind of coffee-table books cost a fortune. You shouldn't have!"

"For my beautiful angel I spare no expense," he smiled.

"Aww, Leonard. You're the best." She put the book on the couch, hugged him and planted a firm kiss on his lips. "I don't deserve you."

Leonard was all smiles. "How about breakfast?" he asked.

Penny smiled back seductively. "Breakfast can wait." She took Leonard's hand and pulled him into her bedroom.

* * *

Shortly after Christmas they were both unexpectedly invited by Penny's parents to visit them in Nebraska during the first week of the new year. Because the invitation was so short-term, Penny's parents Wyatt and Susan generously agreed to pay for their expenses. Fortunately Leonard and Penny could take a few days off from work. But prior they had a wonderful New Year's Eve, standing on the roof of the apartment building and kissing at midnight while the fireworks around them iluminated the night sky.

On January 2 they boarded a plane to Omaha. Penny was extremely excited. Now she could show Leonard all the places she told him in her stories. Leonard was excited too, but principally he was nervous. How would Penny's parents react to him?

The flight from Los Angeles to Omaha was an extraordinary and adventurous experience for Leonard and Penny. Sitting in their seats after nearly two hours in the air, both surreptitiously looked around in the passenger cabin. "Wow, who would have thought that? Penny giggled. "We have just joined the mile-high club."

Leonard's face was red as a beet. "We could have been arrested. Sex on board a flying aircraft is certainly not allowed," he wispered.

"Well, nobody saw what we were doing in that lavatory," Penny grinned. "Plus...No risk, no fun."

"That's true," Leonard chuckled and gave her a kiss.

* * *

The plane arrived Omaha at 15.15 p.m. On approach they could see that the city and the surrounding areas were covered in snow. After a smooth landing and getting their baggage, Leonard and Penny were on their way to the public section of the airport's arrivals area. Penny's parents already waited for them there.

Penny noticed her parents at first and waved at them. "Hi mom. Hi dad," she exclaimed happily.

"Sweetheart!" her mother Susan joyfully replied after seeing her daughter. She came up to her with open arms and hugged her.

With a bright smile on his face, her father Wyatt hugged Penny too. "Come here slugger."

Now Penny proudly introduced Leonard to her parents. "This is my boyfriend Leonard. Leonard, these are my parents."

Susan hugged him warmly. "Leonard, it's so nice to meet you. We've only heard good things about you."

"Nice to meet you too," he replied a little bit shy.

Wyatt greeted Leonard with a firm handshake. "Yeah, it's good to finally meet you, son."

"It's good to meet you too, sir."

"How was your flight?" Wyatt asked.

Penny looked over to Leonard and grinned. "Delightful!"

Leonard blushed heavily."Umm...yes, very pleasant."

They walked to the car of Penny's parents, which was parked directly in front of one of the exits of the arrival area. After loading their baggage into the trunk of the car, they drove to the farm, which was located in a rural suburb of Omaha.

The farm was beautiful, just like in a picture book. Together with the snow covered landscape around the farm it was a true brumal countryside idyll. Leonard and Penny settled down in Penny's old room, which was more or less in the same state since she moved into her own apartment in Omaha when she started to go to the Community College.

Leonard's nervousness with regard to Penny's parents was completely unnecessary. Wyatt and Susan locked Leonard in their heart from the moment they met him. After visting the horses in the nearby stable, they all had a nice dinner. The evening was spent with watching TV in the living room. Wyatt and Susan called it a night around ten o'clock, while Leonard and Penny continued to watch TV, snug on the couch under a warm blanket.

* * *

The next day Leonard and Penny drove into the city with Wyatt's old pickup. She showed him some places of interest, before stopping for a bite to eat at a cozy diner around noon. They were about to leave the diner, when suddenly a big hunk of a man stood next to their table.

"Penny?"

Startled by the voice she knew too well, she turned her head sideways and looked up. "Oh, Kurt."

Leonard appeared to be intimidated by Kurt's appearance, which didn't escape Penny's notice. She immediately reached out across the table and took hold of Leonard's hand.

Kurt ignored this. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Penny answered curtly, not asking him how he was, since she didn't care.

Kurt stayed at the table. "It's been a while since I saw you the last time. We need to go out again. Talkin' about old times. Maybe we can settle our differences. What do you think?"

Penny looked at Kurt with a disapproving expression on her face. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm sitting here with someone."

Kurt looked at Leonard, who tried to avoid any eye contact. "Wait a minute. Aren't you the dwarf I saw in front of my apartment?"

"How dare you! Don't call him that," Penny said angrily. "His name is Leonard."

"Ah, c'mon. Our Mister Dwarfy here can stand this," Kurt scoffed and mussed up Leonard's hair.

"Stop it!" Leonard said in a harsh tone.

"Uhh." Kurt raised his hands. "Dwarfy is getting angry."

"Leave my boyfriend alone," Penny almost yelled.

Kurt looked disbelievingly at Penny then at Leonard. "Are you kidding me? He is your boyfriend?" He started to laugh, which caused several people from other tables to look at them. "You waste your time with someone like him?"

Penny was really infuriated now. "The only time I wasted, were those four years with you. Time I will never get back." Turning towards Leonard she smiled at him lovingly. "Meeting Leonard was the best thing that ever happened to me." Turning towards Kurt again, she looked him directly in the eyes. "And now get lost."

Kurt just shrugged and walked away.

Penny apologized. "I'm so sorry, Leonard."

"Nah! You couldn't know he would be in here."

When they left the diner a few minutes later they continued to stroll around the city. They even found a comic book store, where they spent considerable time. Leonard couldn't resist to buy some comics. Late in the afternoon, after having a small treat at a coffee shop, they returned to the farm.

* * *

The rest of their time on the farm was mostly spent in the house, since the weather became really bad. On the last day before Leonard and Penny returned to Pasadena the sky cleared up and the sun came out. The cold sunshine in the blue winter sky let the snow glisten, that had fallen the night before.

After lunch Leonard and Penny decided to go for a walk. Standing on the porch, well wrapped up in warm winter clothes, they breathed in the cold winter air and started their walk. Holding their gloved hands, they went along the farm roads to a long lane which separated the farm of Penny's parents from their neighbors. Walking up a small hill, they reached an idyllic place with a view that stretched for miles.

"This was my favorite place as a child and when I was a teenager," Penny said. "Isn't this place beautiful?"

Leonard nodded. "It's wonderful."

"I came here, when I was sad or when I had a fight with my parents or my sister or brother. The silence here and the wonderful wide view over the open landscape had a calming effect on me. I was always by myself when I went to this special place. But today I wanted to share it with someone." She looked at Leonard and smiled. "With you. Because you are special."

Leonard just looked in Penny's beautiful eyes and kissed her. Holding hands, they stood in contented silence and savored the view from the hill.

"I have an idea," Leonard smiled and took a pocket knife out of his coat. He walked over to a tree that stood on top of the hill and bagan to carve letters into the trunk of the tree. After a few minutes he was finished. Penny came over to him and looked at his carving. It was a heart with a cupid's arrow and L+P inside. For other people this probably would have been corny, but for Penny it was the most romantic thing ever in this moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Now she knew it for sure. Leonard was the one. And Leonard felt the same. Penny was the one. They were meant to be together.

* * *

Later in the evening, after having a delicious dinner with Penny's parents and a lot of fun playing board games in the living room, Leonard and Penny lay in bed facing each other. It was their last night on the farm, before they would return to California the next day. They just had made love in a way that could only be described as making love in the truest sense of the word.

"Leonard, this was the most beautiful experience I ever had."

"And I'm lying here with the most beautiful girl in the world. It's like a dream come true."

"Oh, Leonard. You make me cry."

Leonard smiled and cupped Penny's cheek. Looking into her mesmerizing green eyes he couldn't hold back the words that came out of his mouth. "I love you, Penny."

She couldn't believe what he just said. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she had to process these words. _Oh my god, he loves me._

Leonard who expectantly waited for an answer began to worry. _Oh no, it was too soon. She can't say it back. Or worse, she doesn't love me._

It took her a few moments, which must seemed like an eternity to Leonard, but Penny was sure. She knew exactly what she felt, and she felt it for quite some time now. "I love you too, Leonard. I love you so much."

They looked into each other's eyes, smiling. Tears began to well up in both of their eyes, and moments later their lips crashed.

From this moment on nothing could come between Leonard and Penny. Sure, there were ups and downs in their relationship and both Leonard's work and Penny's rapidly developing acting career led to hard times of separation they had to endure. For instance, when Leonard had to participate in an Arctic expedition for several months or an equally long research trip on board a ship in the North Sea. And Penny's obligations as an actress also resulted in times, where they were apart for some weeks. But nothing could endanger the love they had for each other. On the contrary. Their love became stronger from day to day and from year to year.

 **To be continued...one more chapter left.**

 **A/N: While this story will come to an end with the next chapter, there's a possibility I write further stories in the future that will refer to this one, meaning they will play within the framework of "The Road Trip Coincidence". We'll see. ;-)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This is the final chapter of this story. It's a short epilogue. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from** ** _The Big Bang Theory_** **. I don't own any of the characters.**

CHAPTER 10 - EPILOGUE

Leonard roamed through the cozy fireplace room of his house in Los Angeles and looked at the objects in the glass cabinet, which almost occupied a whole wall of the room. There were some People Choice Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and many more. _Amazing_ , he thought. His wife had really achieved a lot since her breakthrough seven years ago. She had become a critically acclaimed TV star with millions of fans around the world. Her latest accolade was a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, that she received just a few weeks ago.

Looking at the opposite wall he saw his own accolades and certificates, which he got over the last years as an internationally recognized luminary in the area of high powered lasers. Recently he became a tenured professor and head of the Physics Department at the California Institute of Technology, much to the dismay of his old roommate and Caltech colleague Doctor Sheldon Cooper. Thinking of his roommate and his old apartment in Pasadena, he was amazed how much his life had changed over the last few years. To live in such a huge house, which he and his wife bought four years ago, was still beyond his wildest dreams.

Leonard wanted to leave the room to get something to drink, when his eyes fell on the array of framed photos on the mantelpiece. He walked towards them and stopped right in front of their wedding photo. It was taken a little more than six years ago. He took it into his hand and smiled. _The most beautiful bride of all time._ It brought back memories of the wonderful wedding ceremony on the cliffs in the Big Sur region on California's central coast with a breathtaking view on the Pacific Ocean. It was like a fairy tale. He put it back and looked at the other photos. His eyes wandered to the photos of their honeymoon in Europe. They had visited Rome, Paris, Berlin and London. _What a fantastic experience this was._ And then there were all the photos of their friends. Howard with his wife Bernadette and their daughter Halley, Sheldon and his fiancée Amy and Raj. Leonard chuckled. _Who would have thought that. Howard is married and has a child and even Sheldon is engaged now._ Raj however was alone in his photo. He had some relationships over the last few years. There was Lucy and most recently Claire. In-between these two, there was even a long-term relationship with a girl named Emily, but they all broke up. Being able to talk to women without alcohol for a few years now didn't help him either to have a stable relationship.

Leonard turned his attention to the book shelves, next to the glass cabinet. They had a really nice collection of valuable books. Rare first editions, collectibles and a lot of science and art books. But his eyes sticked to the photo albums on one of the lower shelves, which were sorted by year in ascending order. He grabbed the album of the year 2007 and sat down in one of the armchairs at the fireplace. He started to browse, when his wife entered the room.

"Hey sweetie, what are you looking at?" she asked.

Leonard turned around and smiled at his beautiful wife. She wore black leggins, and a t-shirt of the animal rescue organization she supported for years. Her long blond hair were tied together in a messy bun. "Oh, hey Penny. Back from your PR campaign in the animal shelter?"

"Yeah, I just came home," she said and took a sip from a water bottle.

Leonard kissed his wife, who took a seat on the armrest next to her husband, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'm looking at the pictures from the road trip. Do you remember the day when you and I first met? I can hardly believe that ten years have passed since then."

"I remember this day as if it were yesterday," Penny said. Looking at her watch, she realized something. "Hey, today is September 24. So exactly ten years have passed since we met. It's our anniversary, and we almost forgot it."

"Actually, I haven't," Leonard winked. "I have prepared a special anniversary meal for us tonight. And you just talked about our tenth anniversary yesterday evening, so you haven't forgotten it either."

Penny smiled. "You're right. It just temporarily slipped away from my memory. I'm so lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Leonard replied. "Ten years ago I walked into a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska and found the love of my life."

"Aww, honey. You're so sweet," Penny said and kissed him on the cheek. "And I have found the love of my life too. Those ten years with you by my side were simply wonderful."

Leonard smiled at his wife. "When you think about all the things that happened in those years. All the things you have achieved. You started as a waitress, and now in 2017 you are one of the most-loved actresses in the world."

"But you have achieved many things too," Penny replied. "You don't have to hide your light under a bushel. You're a tenured professor and head of the Physics Department at one of the world's best universities. You're one of the greatest scientists of our time. I'm sure the Nobel Committee for Physics will acknowledge your amazing work in the near future. It's just a question of time."

Penny paused for a few seconds before she continued to speak. "Without you I wouldn't have achieved all this. You were my rock in all those years, and you still are." She gave Leonard another kiss on the cheek. "Especially in the beginning, when you encouraged me and gave me the strength to stay with it. You always believed in me. You always supported me. And then one day, it was a few days after Easter 2008, I got a call back from a casting for a small but recurring role in this short-lived sitcom."

Leonard smiled and rubbed Penny's hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, and two years later this small role was the springboard to get casted as one of the main characters of the sitcom you are still in and that gave you your break."

Penny nodded. "A month ago we just started the production of season eight. It's unbelievable."

"Yeah," Leonard agreed. "This show really became a phenomenon. Not just here, but around the world."

"But I wonder why I never got real appreciation for my roles on the big screen," Penny asked herself.

Leonard shrugged. "Well, that movie you did with Ryan Gosling was great and you got rave reviews. I'm just glad you didn't cheat on me, while you were on location with him," he chuckled.

Penny slapped him on the shoulder. "How can you even think that?" she pouted.

"I'm just kidding," Leonard grinned. "And besides you would have to pay me big time, since we don't have a pre-nup."

Penny suddenly became serious. "I would never cheat on you. I would never break your heart. You know that, right?"

Leonard saw the sudden mood change. He put the photo album aside and gingerly pulled Penny from the armrest she was sitting on to his lap. While she linked her hands behind his neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked deeply into her beautiful green eyes. "Babe, I was just kidding. Of course I know that. And I would never do something like this to you either. On the day you came into my life and I laid my eyes on you for the first time, I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. I love you."

Penny smiled and kissed him softly. "I love you, too."

Leonard picked up the photo album again and together they continued to walk down memory lane, looking at all the photos from the road trip ten years ago. They had to laugh heartily quite a few times, especially when they looked at the pictures Leonard took of Howard and Raj's hangover aftermaths. Twenty minutes later he closed the album. "And ten years later we sit here in this big house in Los Angeles."

Penny grinned. "And it's a good thing we have this big house."

"Yes, having enough space is really a good thing," Leonard said matter-of-factly.

"That's not what I meant," Penny winked.

Leonard looked at her a bit confused. "What do you...?" Then it hit him. "Oh my god, Penny. Are you...?"

Penny nodded with a smile on her face. "I know it since yesterday. My gynecologist confirmed it. I wanted to surprise you during our anniversary dinner tonight, but I can't wait any longer." Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. "Yes, Leonard. I'm pregnant. Are you happy?" she asked him.

"I'm the happiest man on earth," Leonard answered. His eyes had already become moist, as soon as Penny nodded after he couldn't finish his question. He hugged and squeezed his wife, who still sat in his lap. Then they looked at each other, smiling and with tears running down their cheeks. Moments later their lips met and they kissed. Leonard and Penny had tried to get a baby for quite some time, but to no avail. The time of negative pregnancy tests was over now. Penny was finally expecting.

Looking into Penny's gorgeous green eyes, that shone like never before, Leonard could hardly believe his luck. "Here I sit, happy as never before, with a wonderful wife who is carrying a new life inside of her."

Penny gently wiped away the happy tears on Leonard's face with her thumb, fascinated by the enarmored look in his wonderful brown eyes. "And I couldn't be happier either," she smiled. "We are going to be parents."

Leonard cupped Penny's cheek with the palm of his hand. "And we will be amazing parents."

"We will. I love you, Leonard."

"I love you too, Penny."

They remained seated in the armchair, holding each other in a tender embrace. Penny's head rested on Leonard's shoulder, while he gently stroked her belly, that held a new life.

Penny pulled away her head from Leonard's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "How did we get so incredibly lucky?"

Leonard looked at the photo album of the road trip on the table next to him. "It all started with a stone that was spun by a truck and hit the windshield of a rental car. An annoyance that turned out to be a lucky coincidence." Then he turned to his wife and kissed her.

Happy as never before, Leonard and Penny looked forward to a new chapter in their life together as husband and wife.

 **The End.**

 **A/N: While this story came to an end with this chapter, there's a possibility I write further stories in the future that will refer to this one, exploring some things, that were just addressed briefly. But there are also a few ideas for completely new stories floating around in my head. I don't know what I will pick up next, but I will definitely return. I think there can never be enough Lenny stories. :-)**

 **Thanks to all who took the time to read my story and special thanks to all who reviewed. The kind reviews you left for me made me really happy and were a big encouragement, not just to keep writing this story, but for writing further stories in the future. So again, thank you very much for reading and/or reviewing. You guys are great!**

 **See you soon!**


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